These were some words I wrote about my fellow Arizona storm chaser and friend Corbin who was killed in a car accident while out chasing storms on Tuesday, March 28th.
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Early yesterday afternoon, we pulled up next to Corbin’s black Jeep Patriot. I gave him a hug, we talked about how cool his new rims looked, how awesome his license plate frame was (pictured in this photo), his chase setup inside the car and mostly about how amazing it was to be out on the plains again going after storms. A few hours later we heard there was a fatal accident west of Spur and that Corbin’s spotter dot was there. He wouldn’t respond to any calls or texts from me or his Arizona friends/family, so I bailed back to Spur to check in on him and make sure he was safe. When I pulled up to the scene, I saw the Jeep and knew in my heart that he was gone. But I ran up to a couple other chasers there and asked if he was okay, and they shook their heads. I broke down, I cried, Charles gathered a few of us in an embrace and prayed.
I’m thankful I was there when I was, as the news was spreading fast and I was able to give the sheriff the phone number of Corbin’s mom to contact as she was already fearing the worst.
Ben helped me with securing the license plate frame so we could ensure it ended up back home where it belonged. It may seem silly, but to those that knew him well, better than me, those words embodied who he was. That’s all he wanted to do. He saved up all year to chase during the spring. I was so proud of this guy and the excellent storm chaser he was. Not many knew him yet, but they soon would have.
I wasn’t as close to Corbin as I wish now, but we were friends and I miss him. My condolences go out to those that loved him like a brother…Trey, Christian, Tori and others I don’t know about. And to his family, especially his mom. I know they were close and she was so incredibly proud of the man he was becoming.
Devastating, horrible tragedy. My heart also goes out to Kelley and Randy’s family/friends. They were loved by so many and everyone is in mourning today.
I wont ever forget yesterday, the pain of what I saw and the loss of someone so dear to our little group of Arizona storm chasers. He was such a sweet, kind young man…I’m so numb and sad he’s gone.
