Ride Of A Life Time

One of the areas that took a direct hit from the Hattiesburg Tornado was William Carey University. The school is home to more than 4,000 students, many of which are international athletes.
A few of them went on the ride of their lives Saturday morning snd lived to tell a story they’ll never forget. News 25’s Jeff Haeger has that story.
“In the middle of the tornado. Oh! Oh! Sh! Oh! What was that?!” A pair of international students, only freshman at William Carey, well-versed in Snapchat, but tornadoes, Not so much. Paul Bracken said, “We didn’t take it serious because back home we don’t get freak weather.”
Bracken, Brodie and a third passenger, Thomas Brune had just shot a few games of pool, before heading to get some late-night munchies. “I went to Wal-Mart, and I went to go get some food. And by the time we got back. I bought some washing detergent, which I now don’t need.”
Not even thinking twice, about the warning sirens, the road warriors drove their 2002 PT Cruiser, right through tornado alley on their way back to campus. “So we started driving and then rain was going like horizontal past the car, then rocks started hitting the window and just as we turned around that corner rocks started smashing through the window. So we just stopped with the handbrake on and just ducked. (That happened while you guys were in the car?) “Yeah, I mean we’re really lucky cause our friend was in the back seat. And like a really heavy circuit box hit right there, and if it was a few centimeters higher then probably would have been some serious damage in there,” said Calum Brodie.
Mother Nature spared the three athletes on that Saturday morning so they decided to pay it forward.
Bracken, Brune and another friend by the name of Jordan Duplessie found an American flag lying on the ground of the nearby Clinton Gymnasium and then hung it up, only a few feet away from where their lives could’ve ended. “It’s terrible to see any Nations flag lying on the ground, and it’s a matter of respect. Like if it had happened in Ireland, I would want the exact same thing. I would want people to do the exact same thing for me.”
William Carey Head Men’s Basketball Coach Steve Knight said, “They’re not even from America, but they take pride in where they are and in this school and in this country as well. So, it’s just something that I’ll never forget that gesture that they made.”
As it turns out, that gesture is now a symbol of hope for Hattiesburg, a city that’s been devastated by tornadoes twice in the last four years.
Had our friends from across the pond been around for the other one maybe, they would’ve ridden this one out indoors.
But maybe then, their good deed would’ve gone undone and maybe that silver Chrysler wouldn’t have saved their lives. “Well hey, I’ll tell you what it did a good job last night. Saves us.”
Due to safety concerns volunteers are asked not to report to the William Carey University Campus at this time.