Truck driver survives ‘cataclysmic’ windstorm that toppled over his semi in Kansas

The Plains and Midwest were battered by a blizzard this week, with 60-90 mph winds toppling semi-trailers. In Kansas, truck driver Marcus Clark faced a terrifying ordeal after his own semi was overturned by the violent gusts. He joins FOX Weather to discuss the conditions and his near-death experience.

GARDEN CITY, Kan. – A routine haul across Kansas became a terrifying fight for survival for one over-the-road truck driver as a sudden and violent windstorm sent his tractor-trailer careening off the highway.

Marcus Clark is counting his blessings after Tuesday’s brush with death in Garden City amid a week of treacherous blizzard conditions that wreaked havoc across the Plains and Midwest.

His semi and trailer were tossed like toys by gusts estimated at 70 mph, leaving him to escape through a shattered windshield on busy U.S. Route 83 north of K-68 Highway. He emerged from the wreckage unscathed.

“A cataclysmic event,” Clark described in an interview with FOX Weather, recalling the moment his truck was lifted off the ground and thrown into a ditch. “It was just like a movie. It went in slo-mo.”

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A routine haul across Kansas became a terrifying fight for survival for one over-the-road truck driver as a sudden, violent windstorm sent his semi-truck careening off the highway.

(Marcus Clark)

Clark, who had just completed a delivery and was driving an empty trailer, battled the ferocious winds as he navigated an embankment. 

“I looked to my left, out my driver’s side mirrors, and (saw) that the trailer lifted first. It didn’t look like it was coming back down,” he said. 

With his trailer now airborne, he said his focus then shifted to avoiding collisions with other vehicles. 

“I look straight ahead to make sure that there (were) no cars coming towards me,” Clark explained. “Once I knew that I was not going to save it, I just went into the ditch.”

Photos of the aftermath reveal the extent of the damage to his truck, which was likely totaled.

“My family, friends, wife … everybody said God was there with me,” he recalled. “And when I see the pictures, I’m like, yeah, he really was.”

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A routine haul across Kansas became a terrifying fight for survival for one over-the-road truck driver as a sudden, violent windstorm sent his semi-truck careening off the highway.

(Marcus Clark)

Aside from a higher divine intervention, Clark also credits his seatbelt for saving his life. 

“Oh my God. Yes. Safety first,” he emphasized. “If I didn’t have that seatbelt, I wouldn’t be here.”

The fact that the terrifying accident occurred before the snow even arrived underscores the sheer power of the wind, Clark adds. After 13 years behind the wheel, he confessed he’d never faced anything remotely similar.

“The wind definitely is most dangerous for me,” Clark stated. “I’ve been through it all. I can at least see snow. I can see rain. Even tornadoes. But wind? If it comes out of nowhere, you’re not going to see it.”

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Video shows a semi-truck driving along the highway before the cargo attached to the back of the truck seemingly begins lifting off the ground.

In Kansas, winds topped 93 mph in Hugoton on Tuesday. Several other reports of wind gusts over 80 mph came in across western Kansas.  St. Joseph, Missouri, reported wind gusts topping 50 mph for nearly 10 straight hours.

At least three people were killed in Nebraska as the powerful and sprawling winter storm pushed across parts of the Plains and Midwest.