3 storm chasers killed in 2-vehicle accident near Spur, Texas

[Jeff Duda]

Staff note

There seems to be an alternate topic now dominating the last few responses on this thread regarding the use of SpotterNetwork to call out chasers which seems to be diverging from the main topic of the thread. I don't want to discourage such discussion, and I'm sure those who first posted didn't intend for the discussion to jump off on that tangent, but let's stay on-topic on this thread, please.

If you want to start a discussion about the use of SN and such, feel free to start a new thread. I would happily move some of the recent posts there to supplement the discussion.

 

[Michael Towers]

I get very upset when I see people selfishly disregard traffic laws, because the consequence is all too often life long injury or death. It made me even more upset when people referred to this as an accident, or a mistake. We have all made mistakes, and run red lights or stop signs because we were distracted, or blinded by the sun, or whatever. But that's not what happened in this case. Kelley didn't make a mistake. He didn't miss the stop sign. He saw the stop sign. He chose to ignore it. 4 times.

But I don’t think you can equate the fourth, and fatal, time with the previous three. I haven’t watched the entire stream, but two were linked earlier and while they do show he failed to obey the stop signs they aren’t examples of a previous pattern of reckless behavior that could lead one to conclude what you asserted above. Are they violations? Yes, but there’s a big difference in slow rolling through an intersection and blindly barreling through one at 70 mph. If he had acted similarly the previous times I’d have to agree that the final time was intentional but that’s not what happened and it leaves question as to why he didn’t behave as he’d done previously and slow down, check for traffic and roll through. The previous instances, while illegal, are at worst only minor traffic violations that do not support subsequent willful intent and are not consistent with the behavior that led to the crash. Instead of proving he was guilty of reckless homicide they give question as to whether the final blown stop was intentional or accidental and without knowing for sure I can’t condemn a man for willfully and recklessly causing such a tragedy.

I understand the outcry and anger, three people lost their lives and if Kelley had been paying attention and heeding the signs the accident would have never occurred and they’d all be alive today. Yes, he is to blame and was the cause of the crash but I don’t think you can conclusively say it was intentional, that he saw the stop sign and willfully ignored it. I know there were multiple signs leading up to the intersection but when you’re watching the sky instead of the road and simultaneously doing a narrative I can see how he could have missed them. Unless the passenger was willfully going to allow the vehicle to fly through the intersection he must have been distracted too as he never spoke up to give warning. I’m sure the family and loved ones of each person lost are trying to understand why this tragedy happened as they deal with their loss. My thoughts and condolences go out to them, my thoughts and respects to the deceased.

 

[Steve J]

But I don’t think you can equate the fourth, and fatal, time with the previous three. I haven’t watched the entire stream, but two were linked earlier and while they do show he failed to obey the stop signs they aren’t examples of a previous pattern of reckless behavior that could lead one to conclude what you asserted above.

Yes, yes, yes. The video is out there, it's very easy to confirm. Unfortunately, it's also very easy to jump to conclusions based on 2nd hand information. I just wish people would slow down and measure words more carefully, especially when you know that you are likely grieving.

On another forum, I read a chaser's post who went off on an angry rant about murder and such - the interesting part was to read their blog about what looked to be their only experience chasing in the midwest. They relayed their experience about driving 14 hrs so they could make it in time to chase ... getting pulled over for speeding on the way there ... which was fine because they had budgeted for it (??!!!!). Whoa - pot, meet kettle. So it's fine when you break the law to chase while sleep deprived? Pretty similar ingredients here.

 

[Mitchell Schelinder]

Let me first say that I'm a storm spotter, not a storm chaser. I'm a 30 year veteran law enforcement officer who has investigated hundreds of car crashes, thankfully none involving storm chasers. I'd much rather report on a storm from a specific area than drive into or near any tornado producing storm. But this incident was way overdue. I understand the the large majority of storm chasers are more than responsible. Having said that, I've seen many videos online that were very disturbing to me. I'd like to put this in my perspective. As a law enforcement officer I'm charged with protecting life and property. If I get a call about a reckless/speeding driver I have to actively look for that person. If it's near a severe thunderstorm I'm obligated to respond. Reckless chasers (and I've watched many on social media) like that not only put themselves in danger, but mine as well. One thing I hear all the time from chaser blogs or other means, is that the most important recommendation for chasers is situational awareness. I seems to me that there are many (thankfully in the majority), responsible chasers. They always seem to stress safety first. Chasing is extremely dangerous regardless of whether the storm is tornado producing or not. But when the few drive recklessly, as it appears the Williamson situation clearly shows, it puts innocent citizens and law enforcement in a bad situation. I've witnessed this behavior first hand during hurricanes on the east coast. I've watched chasers drive through intersections without stopping, despite the fact that power is out. They get so locked in to the chase, they don't pay attention as they should. This puts everyone in a bad situation and we have to come up with a solution to fix it. Again, this is a small group of irresponsible chasers that makes all of you look bad. Is it fair, no, but that's how we as a society react to things. Remember, the public only focuses on the bad things. I know this being a police officer. It's the same for chasers. Most of you are very responsible and aware chasers. I think it falls on you to call out and report these renegades to authorities. I wish the best for you all, and remember to be safe and responsible.