Tornado Tosses SUV, Infant & Parents Survive
VAN (CBSDFW.COM) - As warning sirens rang in Van Monday night, Andy and Brandi Bouchillon decided to quickly leave their house on Bois D'Arc Street and drive to a storm shelter in town.
But as soon as they turned onto Main Street, they quickly realized, a twister was right on top of them.
"The tornado picked up the rear of our car. We started spinning. "It rolled us, and we rolled all the way over here into these trees," said Andy.
While the tornado tossed their SUV around like a toy car, Brandi was in back with their daughter Bailey -- just two weeks old. "I just kept praying, I said 'God, please keep my baby alive, please keep her alive.' I turned her car seat, I was holding it, and I just laid on top of it talking to her, telling her that it was going to be OK, and that she would be OK."
Looking at the damage and destruction in Van, it's hard to imagine how they could have survived the storm's impact.
"I was feeling for my baby, because she wasn't crying, and as soon as I touched her, she started crying. They say a crying baby is a good baby," said Andy.
They climbed out through the back of their crushed Ford Explorer. Brandi says, "It's amazing she is alive."
Perhaps even more amazing, little Bailey doesn't have a scratch on her after sleeping through her parents' nightmare.
"God was looking out for us. Look at it. It speaks for itself. We really shouldn't have walked away from that," said Andy.
On Wednesday, the couple received more good news.
They were reunited with their beloved dog, Tater, who was missing since Monday night's chaos. Andy said his boss has offered him a vehicle to drive and a place to stay for now. But they are just thankful to be alive and together.