Tim Samaras, Late Storm Chaser, Inspired by 'Wizard of Oz' (VIDEO)
Tim Samaras was passionate about chasing storms and died doing what he loved while chasing a tornado in Oklahoma Friday night. He was killed along with his son Paul and colleague Carl Young. Samaras revealed last month that the iconic film "The Wizard of Oz" was his inspiration for pursing storms.
"I vowed to myself, 'I'm going to see that tornado one day,'" Samaras told "National Geographic." "Being close to a tornado is one of those incredible, fleeting moments that sometimes you have to take a couple of seconds to take in … the smell of tornadoes – if you're in the right place, you get a strong odor of fresh-cut grass, or occasionally, if it's destroyed, a house, natural gas. Sometimes you get that raw earth smell, similar to if you run a bulldozer over open land."
According to reports, Tim Samaras was found inside his car after the tornado was over, though his son and colleague had been sucked outside of the car by high winds. Samaras' work was partially sponsored by the National Geographic Society, which was devastated by the loss.
"We are shocked and deeply saddened… Samaras was a courageous and brilliant scientist who fearlessly pursued tornadoes and lightning… in an effort to better understand these phenomena," they said in a statement.
Mike Bettes, another famous storm chaser, told NBC that he wasn't certain if he would return to the field after seeing what happened to Samaras, his son, and Carl Young.
"I don't know," Bettes told Al Roker. "It's given me perspective on what's important in my life. It may not be up to me. I'll talk to my family about it. If they don't want me to go, I won't go, simple as that. I have to keep them in mind. It was an eye-opener, it truly was."
Bettes was out in the storm when he felt the tires of his truck lift into the air on Friday night.
"It really felt like at that moment I was going to heaven," the meteorologist said. "I just saw my wife's face and I thought, you know, that's my life. I don't want to give that up just yet."
See incredible footage from inside a tornado HERE:
