Reporter hit by tornado shares bloody viral tweet: "I believed I was going to die"

Tennessee - A reporter detailed the moment a massive tornado swept his Jeep off the road amid violent twisters that have ravaged the US.

Nick Sortor's Jeep was badly damaged by a tornado in Tennessee, and his tweet has now gone viral.
Nick Sortor's Jeep was badly damaged by a tornado in Tennessee, and his tweet has now gone viral.  © Collage: Screenshot/Twitter/@nicksortor

A massive storm system that swept across the South and Midwest on Friday into Saturday left enormous damage in its wake. The National Weather Service confirmed at least 31 tornadoes were seen across 9 states.

Many people have narrowly escaped the storms, including Kentucky-born journalist Nick Sortor.

As he was traveling for a report in Tennessee, his car was suddenly hit by a tornado.

"I truly believed I was going to die at the moment my car was picked up and tossed off the road by this massive tornado in Tennessee," Sortor tweeted late Friday night.

His tweet has now gone viral and been viewed over 1.7 million times.

In it, he posted several photos showing his bloodied face and destroyed vehicle.

The tweet had garnered responses from some famous pundits, including lawyer and conservative politician Rudy Giuliani, who wrote, "I am glad you are alive."

Nick thanked commenters for their comforting words, writing, "I truly appreciate everyone’s words of support. It means more than you know."

"My Jeep is totaled, but that’s nothing compared to the lives ruined here," he added.

Reports have widely varied on the storms' destruction. At least 24 people have reportedly lost their lives as a result of the massive tornadoes. Sortor said on Thursday local media had reported at least 600 casualties from tornados in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The recent weather follows massive tornadoes in Mississippi last week that killed and injured dozens, a twister outside of Los Angeles, and another that caused the roof of a music venue in Illinois to collapse during a concert on Friday night.

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot/Twitter/@nicksortor

More on Environment and Climate: