WILLAMSTON, MI — In his seven years of driving semitrailers across Michigan, Barry Smith had never seen a storm like the one that rolled through parts of the state on Thursday night.
“I thought it was over with, I’m not going to lie, I thought I was going to die,” he told MLive Friday morning. “I had to kick out my window to get out and get to safety. It was scary.”
RELATED: 5 dead, several injured, widespread damage after storms tear across Michigan
Smith, 34, of Novi, was hauling a rig full of auto parts on I-96 toward Lansing on Thursday, Aug. 24, as weather got ‘worse and worse,” he said. Eventually a severe storm alert hit his phone around 9:45 p.m.
It was within 5 minutes of that alert that Smith said he could no longer see the road in front of him. Pulling over near Williamston, Smith hoped to wait it out.
The storm, however, had other plans.
“I’m a safe driver, but a tornado? Man, it’ll just sweep you off your feet,” Smith said. “There’s nothing you can really do against nature.”
Crews from the Ingham County Emergency Management and the National Weather Service are in Williamston today to survey the damage and determine if a tornado did touch down. Officials say it is likely a tornado hit the area.
Smith said after pulling over, his truck began to rock and sway. The rig eventually tipped over, throwing him around the cabin. To get to safety, Smith said he was forced to kick out his window.
Barry Smith, 34, of Novi, shows off his wounds sustained from having his semi-truck rollover due storms which rocked Michigan late Thursday, Aug. 24, outside of a Mobil gas station and truck stop on Aug. 25, 2023 in Williamston. (MLive | Jordyn Hermani).
Battered and bleeding, the most egregious of his injuries being a deep cut to his left elbow area and right calf, Smith said he was left dazed by the side of the road until someone stopped to help him roughly 15 minutes later.
He wound up spending the night at the truck stop, with workers at the gas station offering him food, coffee and gauze to staunch the bleeding.
“A lady by the name of Miss Trisha here, she’s a cook, she’s been more than an angel ... She gave me a hug, didn’t even worry about the blood,” he said. “I’m forever grateful for her. Any time I hit this route now, I’m going to make sure I stop and see Miss Trish. She’s a blessing.”
The woman he identified as “Miss Trisha” declined to be interviewed, saying her actions were what anyone would have done given the situation.
RELATED: 374K without power in Michigan after 75-mph winds, possible tornadoes
Thursday night’s storms began in the western part of the state just before sunset, with wind gusts topping 80 mph in some areas of the state.
“What we know is that it’s likely a tornado,” said Rob Dale, deputy emergency manager with Ingham County Emergency Management. “The tornado looks to have touchdown near Williamson Road and I-96 and then moved to right here, M-52 and I-96. It doesn’t appear it went much farther than here. The worst damage is literally right along the expressway itself.”
At least five deaths have been linked to the storm so far from either traffic crashes or trees falling onto homes. Injuries were reported after cars were reportedly flipped by powerful winds on I-96 in Ingham County and semitrailers were pushed onto guardrails. Crews are also surveying in Kent County, where another potential tornado was spotted.
Power outages and damage to homes and buildings are widespread, according to early reports, with reports of a roof ripped off an adult care facility near Lansing. Road closures are also scattered across the state.