Motorcycle Accident Injury Attorneys in Rocky Mount, NC

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WTVD) -- Friday was Alex Burgess' first time back at his business, Alpha Automotive, since a tornado sent him to the hospital. The brace he wore and the abrasions on his back paint a picture of what he experienced a week ago.

"I have a fractured spine, seven broken ribs, and a torn MCL in my knee," said Burgess.

He was working on the car that was still on the lift inside his shop when the tornado touched down. It happened so fast that Burgess and his partner didn't have time to run.

"He had his head cut open, hips injured and even broke his ankle," he said. "He's recovering."

Burgess said cinder blocks flew as strong winds leveled some of the buildings and shattered windows of more than a dozen of his customers' cars.

"Sometimes I feel like I let some people down," said Burgess.

It's clear by the damage it's going to take the business owners in the area a while to get back on their feet. There's no timeline on when they will reopen.

The Hing Ta Restaurant sits next door and Eduardo Luna was inside eating at the time of the storm's arrival.

"A table trapped my leg and somebody helped me get out," he said.

ALSO SEE: 5 Rocky Mount buildings deemed 'unsafe' after EF3 tornado

Luna was thankful he wasn't sitting in his car that now has a beam through the driver's seat. The front door of the restaurant was damaged and he was among many customers who had a hard time getting out.

"It was a little hole where everybody comes out. They crawled out," he said.

Valerie McClure's mom has owned the restaurant for 29 years.

"We had the structural engineer come out yesterday. We're going to present that to the city inspector to see if we can salvage any of the supplies on the inside," she said.

McClure works down the road at the Pfizer plant that was destroyed a year ago. Her family was impacted by storms two years in a row.

"Tornado warnings hit differently now," she said. "We take that very seriously."

The plan is to demo the entire dining area and add fencing around the property, but over at Alpha Automotive, the damage is far worse than the owner could imagine. It's why he started an online fundraiser: Fundraiser by Johnny Parrish: Support Alex's Recovery and Shop Rebuilding

"I'm one of those ones who don't ask for help, but the person I was renting from didn't have insurance," Burgess said.

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The National Weather Service says the powerful twister brought 140 mph winds.

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WTVD) -- Removal started Monday on destroyed vehicles that were lodged inside a Rocky Mount business during Friday's EF3 tornado. City leaders have not yet given the green light to clean up the debris.

Five buildings have been deemed unsafe in the wake of the twister and damage it left behind.

The City is waiting for a structural engineer to assess the buildings.

"That's the thing we worry about with damage like this is structural integrity," said Rocky Mount Plans Inspector Luis Ramirez. "There's a lot of weight involved."

City leaders said a medical supply building sustained the most damage and there are at least 100 oxygen tanks here. They are flammable and could combust.

"There are some oxygen tanks still in these vans that were set for delivery, but in the building itself, there are a large number of oxygen tanks," said Ramirez.

Rocky Mount is waiting for a company to remove the oxygen tanks.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey toured the damage and tried to assure residents that the department was there to help.

"If it's a business, and they had a commercial policy, it should be covered. If it's a homeowner and they had regular home damage, if a tree limb blows through somebody's roof, something like that, that's generally covered," said Causey.

The National Weather Service said the powerful twister brought winds of 140 mph.

K&W Cafeteria sits right next to where buildings were destroyed.

Manager Clarence Furse was working Friday. He said about 20 staff members and customers narrowly missed being hit by the tornado.

"I heard this loud pop sound and then a real booming sound, real loud. and the lights went out and you know, everybody was scared," he said.

There were no fatalities.

Ten people were rushed to UNC Health Nash after the tornado. Everyone has been treated at the hospital and released.

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"It happened so fast. It was a matter of seconds."

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WTVD) -- You can tell by talking to Clarence First he's a man of faith.

First is a manager at the K & W Cafeteria next to the destruction Hurricane Helene left behind.

"God brought us through," he said. "For that tornado to hit right in back of us and not hit this building, I thank him for covering us."

First walked Eyewitness News through the terrifying moments a tornado touched down within steps of where he works. He was standing at the buffet line with a few employees demanding all customers take cover in the restrooms.

"It happened so fast. It was a matter of seconds. I heard this loud popping sound ..booming sound and the lights went out," he said. "One of the customers started praying. Employees were hollering. A lot of people were crying."

According to First, power in the area was out for nearly 24 hours. He showed off a light dangling from the entrance of K & W that was minor damage compared to the devastation behind the restaurant.

ALSO SEE: Helene blamed for 3 deaths in North Carolina, historic flooding and at least 4 tornadoes

Clarence First

The storm system tore through Rocky Mount's business district along Tiffany Boulevard, which remains shut down. Some of the damage includes windows blown out of cars, dumpsters flipped over, a roof collapse and a medical supply store completely wiped out.

"When I saw it yesterday, I was like wow. I was praying nobody was in the building that I knew," said Robert Green.

He used to shop at the medical supply store and drove from Whitakers to get a closer look at the damage. Green took pictures so he could add them to his collection at home.

"This is going to go up. even when it came through Dortches and hit the pharmaceutical plant. It's pictures like that I take," he said.

According to the City of Rocky Mount, "police will monitor the properties to ensure the safety and security of the area." Rebuilding could likely take months.

The aftermath of Helene is also felt and seen from eastern to western North Carolina. Federal agencies have advice for residents.

"When it's safe to do so, document whatever damage you may have. Take pictures and report that to your insurance," said Erik Hooks Deputy Administrator with FEMA.

RELATED: At least 56 dead and millions without power after Helene's deadly march across southeastern US

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Rocky Mount Mayor C. Saunders Roberson, Jr. declared a state of emergency, and it will be in place until 5 p.m. on Sunday.

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- The effects of Helene touched all parts of our state.

The most severe impact we saw in our area is in Rocky Mount after a tornado ripped through Friday. ABC11 crews are on the scene as cleanup is underway.

The 100-yard-wide tornado was an EF-3 with 140 mph winds and traveled for a quarter-mile, according to the National Weather Service.

An automotive repair shop and a restaurant were among 14 buildings on Tiffany Boulevard that sustained heavy damage, with some having roofs and walls torn away. Several vehicles were also damaged.

Crews on the ground for cleanup and assessments. Rocky Mount Mayor C. Saunders (Sandy) Roberson, Jr. declared a state of emergency, and it will be in place until 5 p.m. on Sunday.

WATCH | Cleanup crews on ground after Rocky Mount tornado

The tornado happened in the middle of the day with people outside and out dining with friends and family.

ABC11 spoke with witness Sonny Cardinelli Friday, who was inside the Hing Ta restaurant when the tornado moved through.

Cardinelli said he got as many people as he could under the table. He could hear items and debris falling on the table and around him.

"We were sitting there, we kept getting the tornado alerts, and then some of my family members told me that there was a tornado in the area," he said. "So, me and my granddaughter and a friend of hers ... sitting at the table, and I went to get my plate and when I seen the chimes going around and everything started spinning, so I ran to them and grabbed everyone I could and we went under the table. We were lucky."

Keisha Justice was inside her store, Pretty Essentials Women's Boutique, in the shopping center when the tornado struck.

"The front is completely gone," Justice said Friday of her business, which services cancer patients.

Rocky Mount Fire Chief Darvin Moore said 15 people were injured, four seriously, related to the tornado.

There was also at least one other confirmed tornado in Sampson County. It packed winds of 95 mph and traveled more than 3 miles, snapping trees and knocking down power poles on Helltown Road near Garland.

Three deaths in North Carolina are among the dozens of storm-related deaths nationwide.

The storm, now a post-tropical cyclone, is expected to hover over the Tennessee Valley into the weekend, the National Storm Center said. Several flood and flash flood warnings remain in effect in parts of the south and central Appalachians. High wind warnings are also issued in parts of Tennessee and Ohio.

Cleanup Resources & More

Crisis Cleanup has issued a number available for folks to call for assistance with debris cleanup from Hurricane Helene: (844) 965-1386. All services are free, but not guaranteed. The hotline will remain open through Friday, October 11.

Crisis Cleanup has issued the phone number available for folks to call for assistance with debris cleanup from Hurricane Helene. Call (844) 965-1386.All services are free, but service is not guaranteed. This hotline will remain open through Friday, October 11, 2024. pic.twitter.com/8VauFN02C9

— NC Emergency Management (@NCEmergency) September 28, 2024

You can report a power outage at 57801, use the Duke Energy app or their website.

You can check for road closures due to the storm.

'Terrible' Helene leaves western NC with major flooding, all roads declared closed

Lake Lure Dam no longer at risk of breaching following inspection, emergency officials say

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Copyright © 2024 ABC11-WTVD-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved - The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WTVD) -- This tornado showed no mercy, picking up cars like toys and tossing them hundreds of yards. Rocky Mount residents are thankful that the tornado was not fatal.

Sonny Caridnale recalled the moments the twister touched down. It was just after 1:30 p.m. on Friday, as he was out to eat with his family along North Wesleyan Boulevard.

"Everything was spinning inside the room. Bricks. Everything was going around in circles in there. And we just all grabbed and went up under the tables," said Sonny Cardinale. "There was still stuff hitting us, in the back and on top of us."

According to Rocky Mount Emergency Management, 15 people were hurt, four of whom had serious injuries, and 14 buildings were damaged, 11 extensively. Cardinale and others helped to pull out one man pinned under the debris. On the other side of the shopping center, Keisha Justice who serves cancer patients shared a similar account.

I heard someone screaming. There was people that were in that building. And with that, all I heard was help, help.- Keisha Justice

"I heard those sounds and I told him I was like, let's, let's run it, let's take cover. And so we went to the bathroom, which is what we knew was the safest place to be," said Justice of Pretty Essentials Women's Boutique.

When Justice looked out her doors seconds later, she saw a medical supply business demolished.

"I heard someone screaming. There was people that were in that building. And with that, all I heard was help, help," Justice said. "She was covered with bricks, and the only thing I could do at that point was call 911 because I was too afraid to come out. I didn't know if the tornado was circled back around or if it was done."

Justice described the view as a war zone. Vehicles tossed across the parking lot; windows busted; signs ripped like paper; and light posts strung like yarn.

Hair stylist Demetrius Barnes was thankful she was able to keep a young client calm.

"It's amazing what a storm can do. And we were just spared. It could've been worse," said Barnes.

People living in the nearby Tiffany Park Apartments were also affected. Metal siding and large branches were scattered across the parking lot, making it difficult to drive.

Kaishaun Brown and Jordan Auston, had frightening moments during their day off from school, with a large tree limb breaking a window.

"It fell on my dresser, on the TV stand, near my Xbox, glass, the whole part on the window is on the floor," said Kaishaun.

"It was scary. I was hoping everyone was OK," said Jordan.

Rocky Mount residents and emergency crews will continue to assess the damage and clean up into the weekend.

A State of Emergency has been declared by Mayor Sandy Roberson. It is in place till 5 p.m. Sunday.