Michael Snyder
EF3
Was anyone else witness to this officer blocking HWY 4 just west of Lacrosse?
Im wondering what the other two chasers thought who were out there with me. I never go to talk to them.
Here was my take on the whole thing-
After the tornado crossed HWY 4 we had an incident with a police officer. With two storm chase vehicles ahead of us we were tracking the storm nicely, knowing where it was and with decent visibility at the time. Then a police officer in a response emergency truck come driving down the road and blocks the HWY right in front of us. This caused the chasers to have to stop rather quickly including us. This suddenly became a dangerous situation, there is only one way out with huge rain and hail shafts behind us. The visibility dropped to almost zero since we have to remain in one place like sitting ducks in the rain and hail. The chasers ahread started around the vehicle and the officer was obviously very upset and kicked and hit one of the vehicles as it was slowly going around the truck. So I decided not to go around but to obey him and wait there. At which point he comes up to the car screaming at me. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" he asks. This was the only thing I remember him saying as he very argressively approached me and continued screaming things. This officer was clearly not able to handle the situation rationally and I thought for a minute that he might attack so I was ready to avoid him. He then starts screaming for me to stay there, not to move and asking me why I would be out here. So much for me being the one to stop and obey his order not to go down the HWY huh? So as we are forced to sit through the huge shower were visibility was almost zero and not being able to see possible other weather hazards such as a satellite tornado (which one missied us by maybe a mile or so?). A very unsafe move by the officer overall, and it was very dissapointing how he reacted to the person who actually obeyed his orders. At one point he was leaning at me like he was going to throw a punch, I was amazed, shocked and I knew it was a lose lose situation under any circumstance if this became physical. I understand he was probably extrememely upset about the other chasers going by him like that. But the fact was that he made a controllable situation a very dangerous one and the chasers ahead realized this and werent going to be caught up like I was. Knowing how the officer reacted I should have done the same, and probably should have done the same out of safety for myself and my chase partner.
Im wondering what the other two chasers thought who were out there with me. I never go to talk to them.
Here was my take on the whole thing-
After the tornado crossed HWY 4 we had an incident with a police officer. With two storm chase vehicles ahead of us we were tracking the storm nicely, knowing where it was and with decent visibility at the time. Then a police officer in a response emergency truck come driving down the road and blocks the HWY right in front of us. This caused the chasers to have to stop rather quickly including us. This suddenly became a dangerous situation, there is only one way out with huge rain and hail shafts behind us. The visibility dropped to almost zero since we have to remain in one place like sitting ducks in the rain and hail. The chasers ahread started around the vehicle and the officer was obviously very upset and kicked and hit one of the vehicles as it was slowly going around the truck. So I decided not to go around but to obey him and wait there. At which point he comes up to the car screaming at me. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" he asks. This was the only thing I remember him saying as he very argressively approached me and continued screaming things. This officer was clearly not able to handle the situation rationally and I thought for a minute that he might attack so I was ready to avoid him. He then starts screaming for me to stay there, not to move and asking me why I would be out here. So much for me being the one to stop and obey his order not to go down the HWY huh? So as we are forced to sit through the huge shower were visibility was almost zero and not being able to see possible other weather hazards such as a satellite tornado (which one missied us by maybe a mile or so?). A very unsafe move by the officer overall, and it was very dissapointing how he reacted to the person who actually obeyed his orders. At one point he was leaning at me like he was going to throw a punch, I was amazed, shocked and I knew it was a lose lose situation under any circumstance if this became physical. I understand he was probably extrememely upset about the other chasers going by him like that. But the fact was that he made a controllable situation a very dangerous one and the chasers ahead realized this and werent going to be caught up like I was. Knowing how the officer reacted I should have done the same, and probably should have done the same out of safety for myself and my chase partner.