Storm chasers are known to be fairly brave and almost reckless in their pursuit of tornadoes.  Tonight, a well-known storm chaser found himself in danger of losing his life.

Mike Bettes of the Weather Channel, a long-time veteran of on-the-ground severe weather reporting, was in his Tornado Hunt vehicle with two other Weather Channel vehicles trailing behind them.  While filming one of the twisters striking Oklahoma City, his vehicle was picked up by a twister and thrown around 200 yards into a field.

The airbags deployed and Bettes & his two cameramen were wearing seatbelts so they escaped with only minor injuries.  The SUV they were riding in was destroyed.

Bettes and his team were among 39 people confirmed injured (as of 11pm) as a result of the storm that killed a woman and her infant.