College Student Was Driving Home When Tornado Struck. Before She Got Thrown from Car, She Told Mom, 'It's Taking Me'

Yahoo

22-05-2025

Mya Grimes, a college student at Jackson State University, had a "near-death" experience when a tornado hit as she was driving last week
The 20-year-old student said that her car was caught in the storm and spun in circles before being ejected from the vehicle
"I really thought that was my last moment," she said about the terrifying experienceA college student is grateful to be alive after getting caught up in a tornado while she was driving last week.
Mya Grimes, a rising senior at Jackson State University in Mississippi, was on her way to St. Louis, her hometown, when a tornado tore through the city and threw her out of her car on Friday, May 16.
The 20-year-old college student had nearly reached her home when the storm caught up to her, according to ABC-affiliate WAPT.
"I really thought that was my last moment," she told the outlet.
Grimes said that the tornado broke the windows of her car and opened the driver's side door. Even though she said she was wearing a seat belt, she was ejected from the vehicle and "slid down the street 40 yards."
Before the storm reached her, the student talked to her dad — who cautioned her to be careful, but get home if she could — according to local station KMOV. She also called her mom, Tina Grimes, but then her phone disconnected.
'When I answered the phone, I just wasn't prepared for what I heard on the other end," Tina told the outlet. After asking her daughter what was going on, to her terror, her daughter replied, "'It's taking me.' "
"My car started spinning in circles and spinning in circles, and I was just literally terrified and holding on to my steering wheel for dear life," Mya told NBC affiliate KSDK. "The door opened and I flew out of my car."
The student said that she was able to cling to a light pole as the gusts continued.
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In an Instagram post detailing her "near-death experience," Mya said that the paramedic she was able to flag down afterwards told her she was 'lucky to be alive.'
'I have gashes from the glass and sliding down the street," Mya wrote alongside images of the damage to her car. Fortunately, despite some minor injuries, she was otherwise unharmed.
She went on to share that the incident has given her a new perspective that 'any moment could be our last."
According to the National Weather Service, an EF3 tornado touched down in Clayton, Mo., and moved through the northern parts of St. Louis on May 16. It had winds up to 152 miles per hour.
Read the original article on People