Science: Bus Gets Slammed By Tornado

A tornado leaves a house at 301st Avenue and 49th Street in the town of Wheatland heavily damaged Monday night. Storms moving through Kenosha County on Monday left a swath of damage in western Kenosha County and on the north side of the city of Kenosha. No serious injuries were reported. 1

The Tornado Bus Co. bus was westbound on Interstate 40, headed from Chicago to Dallas, when it veered across the median about 10 p.m. The bus slammed into the oncoming eastbound pickup, and then the 18-wheeler slammed into the bus, Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said. 2

When the last tornadic activity ended in the westernmost of the six states involved in this outbreak, Ohio entered into its crosshairs. The first Ohio tornado entered from Indiana around 8:30 EST. When the last tornado, a weak F1, dissipated after midnight (1 am) in Harrison County in eastern Ohio, the Buckeye State had been visited by six tornado families. It was to be the second deadliest tornado day in the state’s history — the Lorain tornado of 28 June 1924 being the deadliest — with between 55 and 63 fatalities. All tornadoes struck after dark, making the night more horrible to those in the state. 3

The shutdown order, issued last Friday, comes during one of the bus industry’s busiest times, the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. And Tornado is one of the largest bus lines in Dallas that caters to immigrants traveling to and from the Mexican border. 4

On Nov. 25, a Tornado bus traveling from Chicago to Dallas crossed the median on a rain-slicked Interstate 40 east of Forrest City, Ark. The bus slammed into a pickup and was broadsided by a tractor-trailer. The pickup driver and three passengers were killed. About three dozen people were hurt. 5