Drivers capture terrifying moments as tornado touches down

MOUNTAINBURG, Ark. (KTUL) — A tornado touched down in Crawford County, Arkansas during a string of severe storm systems Friday, trapping drivers in their cars and people in their homes.

When 20-year-old Anna Latawiec spotted a tornado near Mountainburg, Arkansas, she did what most of us would do.

She kind of freaked out.

"Yeah, I was, because I've never been so close to anything like that, and I was just having a panic attack. I couldn't believe what was happening," said Latawiec. She was on her way home to Dallas when it happened.

Latawiec managed to pull out her cell phone and capture the moment, something she said she'll never forget.

"We could feel the car shaking. I thought it was going to flip over," said Latawiec.

As the tornado ripped through the small town, more people grabbed their phones and started recording.

"I basically pulled over, and then I saw this rotation coming straight at me," said Devin Tillman, who was also just passing through when the tornado hit.

"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Tillman.

Tillman and a few others took shelter under an overpass as the tornado passed by.

"It was extremely loud. When they say it sounds like a freight train, that's absolutely true," said Tillman.

The tornado ripped through the town of Mountainburg leaving a lot of damage in its wake.

When the worst was over, Tillman went back to see the damage.

"A lot of trees were snapped. A lot of damage to houses," said Tillman.

Both Latawiec and Tillman are out of there now, but their hearts go out to the people of Mountainburg.