Hail crashing through their windshield, water pouring into their van, and two kids in the back seat — Family recounts terrifying storm on I-55

By Nathan Vickers

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    ST. LOUIS (KMOV) — Widespread hail damage impacted hundreds of families in the bi-state area Thursday. For one family on their way to visit relatives, the storm hit on the interstate.

Kurt and Vicky, who were driving from Chicago, had their two kids in the backseat when the hail started pounding their minivan.

“Ahead of us, we could see cars pulled off to the side of the road,” Vicky said. Then it was just, ‘bam, bam bam.’”

She and Kurt took video of the soft-ball-sized balls of ice cracking their windshield, eventually breaking it. Water was pouring into their front seat.

“I was holding up the sunroof with my hand,” Vicky said.

In the video they shared with First Alert 4, Kurt was trying to keep the kids, 9 months and 21 months old, calm.

“At one point, I said, ‘What the hail is going on?’ And nobody laughed because it was too soon,” Kurt said.

Vicky, sitting next to him, rolled her eyes. Kurt grinned, adding, “Yeah, that joke didn’t land like the hail did.”

Their van is totaled, but the couple said they hitched a ride with relatives and eventually made it safe and sound to visit Kurt’s parents in St. Peters.

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