OTTAWA, Kan. – High winds wreaked havoc on the Ottawa area Wednesday afternoon. Snapped power poles and sheet metal are scattered throughout the landscape.
At about 2:45 p.m., a microburst brought straight-line winds that tipped two semi trucks on Interstate 35 at mile marker 182 in Franklin County. No serious injuries were reported, but I-35 was closed until about 8 p.m. Wednesday.
One of the semis landed on Dan Manson's car as he traveled to Wichita. Manson said the high wind and rain had created zero visibility on the interstate and brought traffic to a standstill.
"I was talking my brother on the phone to ask him if I was in the middle of a tornado," said Manson. "Then I said, Oh my God, that semi is going to roll over and hit me. I saw it flip and then it started crunching my car a little at a time."
Manson was trapped in the car for several minutes because the tipped semi made it impossible to open his driver's side door and his car battery had stalled, making it impossible to open the window. Eventually, the engine revved back up and Manson was able to open the window and slide outside to safety. The truck driver later told Manson that he had just unloaded his cargo.
"40,000 extra pounds would've been a whole different scenario," said Manson. "It probably would've smashed my car down on both sides."
The roof was blown from the Village Inn Motel, and trees and power lines were downed by winds as well.
