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

[Will Campbell]

They were northbound and per their constant conversations over radio and to their stream viewers they were out in front of the line, so I'd argue that the storm would have been to their left (west). It doesn't take Sherlock to listen to the audio of his stream and identify that he was clearly distracted by everything BUT the road. Talking to viewers, talking on the radio, talking about how good it looks on radar etc etc etc.

 

[Brad Dormer]

They were northbound and per their constant conversations over radio and to their stream viewers they were out in front of the line, so I'd argue that the storm would have been to their left (west). It doesn't take Sherlock to listen to the audio of his stream and identify that he was clearly distracted by everything BUT the road. Talking to viewers, talking on the radio, talking about how good it looks on radar etc etc etc.

Also, if I remember right, right before the stream cut out you can hear Randy say "Look at that rotation up there" indicating that if he was driving, he was indeed distracted.

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

I don't know how many of you have chased eastern Colorado, but there are large areas of gridded dirt roads where there are literally no stop signs at most intersections (between I70 and I76 / SOuth of Fort Morgan area). I chase this area regularly and even if I can clearly tell there are no cars in the area, I still slow way down for these intersections, if not stop. It just feels wrong to blow through, even though its completely legal.

Last year when I was out, I got caught up in a crowd of people unfamiliar with the area/conditions, driving like assholes, flying through every interchange. I was cut off and tailgated by the same person on multiple occasions. I bailed on the best route to my storm because of these idiots.

Long story short, I don't trust anyone out there, I don't care who you are. I will exchange a close up tornado for a long lens shot any day if I feel at risk from idiots.

 

[Bill Hark]

Here is a link to TWC report on the accident. There are articles on CNN, Fox and a mention on NPR today.

https://weather.com/news/weather/video/3-storm-chasers-killed-in-tragic-car-crash

 

[Will Campbell]

The audio continues after the video freezes for a couple minutes. I have watched most of the 2.5hr stream (which is still available on YouTube and doesn't include anything disturbing... no audio or video of the actual accident) and during the stream he runs stop signs, swerves into oncoming lanes pretty routinely, talking to stream chat, talking on radio, looking at radar stopping in the road. It's a common fault that I'm sure we are all guilty of to some extent, just a shame that it cost lives.

I'm glad I stopped streaming and doing the social media crap... lets me focus more on what's important and gives me less temptation for distracting myself. I think everyone that's piloting a vehicle while chasing should think about it. We can all do better.

 

[Gordon Spencer]

Very Sad day . Condolences to all friends and family of these brave souls . Please all chasers be safe out there

 

[Warren Faidley]

The audio continues after the video freezes for a couple minutes. I have watched most of the 2.5hr stream (which is still available on YouTube and doesn't include anything disturbing... no audio or video of the actual accident) and during the stream he runs stop signs, swerves into oncoming lanes pretty routinely, talking to stream chat, talking on radio, looking at radar stopping in the road. It's a common fault that I'm sure we are all guilty of to some extent, just a shame that it cost lives.

I'm glad I stopped streaming and doing the social media crap... lets me focus more on what's important and gives me less temptation for distracting myself. I think everyone that's piloting a vehicle while chasing should think about it. We can all do better.

I only watched the video a couple of times and did not have time to analyze it. So what you are saying is that the video at the end of the clip is not the intersection where the accident happened? Wow. If that is true then it's a totally different story.

 

[Isaac Schluesche]

I only watched the video a couple of times and did not have time to analyze it. So what you are saying is that the video at the end of the clip is not the intersection where the accident happened? Wow. If that is true then it's a totally different story.

I was definitely hearing some speculation that the crash did indeed not happen at that intersection, which I think may have some credibility because there doesn't appear to be any other traffic at the intersection at the very end of the stream.
Audio also definitely continues on for several moments after the video stream cuts out.

RIP everyone involved. My prayers are with them and their families.

 

[John Erwin]

I don't post much but felt compelled to offer my condolences.

I don't think it's helpful to assess blame at this time; I doubt any of us here can claim to have always had 100% Situational Awareness on all our chases, although it's something we should strive for of course.

If there's anything positive we can take out of this it should be a chance to step back and take a look at our own conduct; are we driving defensively? Are we distracted? Are we overtired? And so on.

My heart goes out to the familys, friends all those affected by this tragedy.

 

[Jeremy Perez]

The audio continues after the video freezes for a couple minutes.

It should be noted that the place where the video ends on the stream as of today is not where it ended yesterday. Perhaps overnight YouTube manually froze it a couple minutes earlier for legal reasons. Yesterday, the video continued right up to where you hear the audio end today, and showed the intersection with the approaching stop sign visible.

[edit: I did take a screen grab of that last frame of video yesterday and have it on my desktop. Nothing graphic, just the different, approaching intersection in view. Not sure if it's acceptable to post, so I'll defer on that]

[edit-edit: okay, now the youtube video _does_ end where I saw it end yesterday, just out of sync with earlier audio. Either it buffered differently for me this morning, or ongoing things are happening to it in the background. It's like the Heisenberg uncertainty principle at this point, so I'll stop trying to figure it out.]

 

[Isaac Schluesche]

It should be noted that the place where the video ends on the stream as of today is not where it ended yesterday. Perhaps overnight YouTube manually froze it a couple minutes earlier for legal reasons. Yesterday, the video continued right up to where you hear the audio end today, and showed the intersection with the approaching stop sign visible.

That's what I had noticed as well. Video stops at like 2:25:50 but says it continues on to 2:28 ish

 

[Warren Faidley]

Yes, the video audio was edited from yesterday. Very odd.

 

[Jesse Risley]

The audio continues after the video freezes for a couple minutes. I have watched most of the 2.5hr stream (which is still available on YouTube and doesn't include anything disturbing... no audio or video of the actual accident) and during the stream he runs stop signs, swerves into oncoming lanes pretty routinely, talking to stream chat, talking on radio, looking at radar stopping in the road. It's a common fault that I'm sure we are all guilty of to some extent, just a shame that it cost lives.

I have not seen the stream, so has any of that been verified? There are numerous people alleging that "multiple" stop signs were disregarded prior to the one that caused the accident. If that is true, while the outcome is the same nonetheless, that's even far more tragic, since it becomes something more than a simple, unilateral error at one fateful intersection.

 

[Will Campbell]

Correct Warren. This can mean one of four things: 1. The accident did not occur at this particular intersection. 2. The audio and video were detached and not in sync. 3. The accident took place at an intersection further north from this freeze frame. 4. The accident did not take place at an intersection.

This is the frame the video froze on, showing an intersection


Now, law enforcement reports and pictures of the scene show and say an intersection, so that rules out #4. You can see intersection markings behind Corbin's vehicle. Media said Corbin was eastbound and kelley/randy were north bound, if that were the case you'd expect impact on the passenger side of Corbin's vehicle. So I'd say judging by this photo that Corbin was westbound. Not that it matters much.

 

[Will Campbell]

It should be noted that the place where the video ends on the stream as of today is not where it ended yesterday. Perhaps overnight YouTube manually froze it a couple minutes earlier for legal reasons. Yesterday, the video continued right up to where you hear the audio end today, and showed the intersection with the approaching stop sign visible.

Thanks for the clarification Jeremy. I don't watch live streams so I only go off what I saw here. That's good info though and clears up my above post.