Indiana chaser's car breaks down in Kansas, needs donations to get home

[Jay Farlow]

I know this guy and I'm trying to be sympathetic. I truly hope things work out for him. I think his plight might be fodder for a worthwhile discussion here.

https://www.gofundme.com/94jozg

 

[Darren Addy]

I'd be sympathetic also, but a few things spring to mind....

a) $5000 ?!? Really?
b) GoFundMe is one place I would not use my kick-ass chase team name and logo. People would be more likely (I would think) helping a down-and-out individual
c) The headline makes it sound like we're helping a guy, but the GoFundMe team says that his whole "team" is stranded at the hotel
d) I would suggest including at least one member on the team that has a credit card with an available balance.

 

[Matt Tottle]

I don't mean to sound like a prick but I hate GoFundMe. It's the digital version of standing by an offramp holding a sign and a cup.

And for $5,000.. Sorry, that's pretty ridiculous. I don't know what kind of vehicle he has but considering he is wondering "if the life of the truck is over", I'm guessing it's not something young. The price of repair might be exceeding the value of the truck. Sell it to the guy for parts, get a one-way car rental for a couple hundred bucks, and hit the classifieds to find something better.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

Maybe others should take this as a lesson that bad things do happen while chasing, so having some money or a way to get home is always good, whether it be car rental, plane ticket, etc. I know not everyone has credit, or credit cards, or even money in reserves, but e-begging doesn't seem like the way to solve it. If we donate to get their car fixed and them home, will that teach them a lesson, or will he just be out again chasing without emergency means?

Sh** happens while chasing. I can be a huge testament to that - Ending up in a farmers field escaping tornadoes after the road ended in South Dakota. We were lucky to find other chasers to help us get to a hotel that night (Thanks @Bart_Comstock and Mike Umschied) and back to the car the next day. We still had to have some moneys to make it all work. I also tried hauling all my crap out of the field (and Adam ended up carrying it a long distance because I'm a pansy) in case I had to either rent a car or fly home from Aberdeen to my truck which was at Chicag-Midway airport. Things worked out, but in the future I always plan on a 1000 tow bill. I have an emergency credit card with me at all times chasing in case I need to use it.

With that said, I hope Drake makes it home and can get things straightened out, including his life priorities.

 

[chrisbray]

Saw this on the comments for the gofundme (Only $40 from 2 people so far)
"They can really use your help. The guys put their lifes on the line to get informaton back to the public."

Sorry, I was out there too but let's not pretend this is the case. I really don't think he was needed, especially coming all the way there from 12+ hours away. There were probably thousands of chasers our there yesterday.

 

[Matt Tottle]

Saw this on the comments for the gofundme (Only $40 from 2 people so far)
"They can really use your help. The guys put their lifes on the line to get informaton back to the public."

Take notice of the last name on that comment...

I just seriously have a hard time believing that out of that entire team with all their expensive gear there is not a capable credit card between them or one person who can call a friend or family to borrow some money from - you know, money that actually has to be paid back.

 

[Darren Addy]

It may be worth noting that on his Facebook page a storm chaser truck driver (Ohio's Extreme Storm Chasers) asked Drake if he was still in Missouri because he was on his way to Denver and then going back to Ohio. Drake replied "im ok with a friend now." No word on the rest of his team.

 

[Jay Farlow]

FWIW, new information has been posted in comments on the donation site. Someone who knows the chaser set up the site on her own and arbitrarily set the amount at $5,000 (perhaps to help cover the potential cost of a replacement vehicle). The chaser says he didn't ask for the donation request to be set up. He also indicates that his is stuck with no money in Missouri with a truck that will cost $1,000 to repair and will be ready tomorrow (4/29) so he can drive it home. He also indicates that "people are helping," which might mean he's getting some financial assistance (apart from the donation site) from friends and/or family. One final point of interest: He indicates that he has a family of 5 and 1 vehicle.

There might be some lessons here for new and/or aspiring storm chasers:

• Consider the wisdom of driving 700 miles from home to chase storms if a.) you're not certain your vehicle is in good enough shape for the trip, and/or b.) you don't have enough spare cash or credit to cover unexpected expenses, including vehicle repairs and more overnight stays than planned.
• If people back home depend on your and/or your vehicle, consider staying close to home and spotting storms that come to you vs. driving through four states to find, see, photograph, video record, video stream and/or report a tornado. Perhaps those who depend on you could better use the money you'd otherwise spend on fuel, food, and other chasing expenses.
  
• If your primary interest in is improving public safety, consider whether your presence and reports are really needed in an area densely covered with SpotterNetwork.org members. You might be more valuable to public safety by staying home and promoting weather safety messages in your community.

Please note! My intention in this post is not to judge or criticize the Indiana chaser whose truck broke down in Missouri. I know him personally and I'm truly sorry his family's only vehicle broke down so far from home and that he lacks the funds to pay for the repair himself. My intention here is simply to give new and/or aspiring chasers some things to think about.

 

[Matt Tottle]

This new information brings his life priorities even further into question.. Family of five, one vehicle, can't swing a thousand bucks for a vehicle repair, yet he's out blowing money and racking up miles on their only vehicle chasing while the wife and kids are stuck at home??