According to KSLA, Rickey Williams and his mother, Charlesletta, of Smithland, Texas, said their perilous ride began that evening after they watched a weather report about a possible tornado in the area.

"I don't know what it was is, but it started, 'Woo woo, woo,'" Charlesletta told KSLA.

>> Watch the interview with KSLA here

"The whole house started shaking," Williams told KSLA. "I heard, like, a 'poof,' and I knew the roof came off."

Moments later, when they came down, it "felt like someone placed us on the ground," Williams told KSLA.

About the Author

Featured

Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com