'I'm Just So Lucky To Be Here': Claremore Tornado Victim Returns Home After Motorcycle Wreck

A Claremore tornado victim just got home on Tuesday after spending weeks in the hospital.

Just days before the tornado ripped through his town, he got into a motorcycle wreck that nearly killed him.

But now he is thanking God to be alive.

Bobby Mackey said he was close to home on Route 66 after a quick trip up to visit his brother.

He said a vehicle ran into him, and he remembers flying through the air.

Bobby Mackey is home at last. He’s scraped up all over, has three broken ribs, a fractured spine, a broken wrist— but he is alive.

"I just had on shorts and a real thin shirt and flip-flops," he said. "I said, I'll be right back.”

Bobby took his new trike up to Foyil on a quick trip back on May 23rd.

He nearly made it home when he saw another vehicle cross right into him.

“Hit me into a road sign at full speed, that threw me into oncoming traffic head-on into an SUV, and we both caught fire," he said.

Bobby said the vehicle that hit him left the scene, and he was flown to the hospital. The mother and her daughter in the other car involved weren't hurt, according to troopers.

“It was cloudy that evening, and they said there was a ray of sunshine that followed that helicopter as it left," Bobby said.

Bad became worse when only a few days later, the tornado ripped through the Oaks Mobile home park in Claremore where he lives.

“When I was in the hospital, I found out a tornado came by and almost destroyed our neighborhood," he said.

His home only had minor damage from the tornado, but the crash burned his trike to a crisp.

The two tragedies make him thankful for the things he still has: his wedding ring and one more precious item.

“The only thing recognizable was this Bible.”

But this Marine Corps veteran says he knows his neighbors will rebuild.

He said he finds strength from God and his wife and will recover.

“I’m just so lucky to be here," he said.

Bobby said he’s already home sooner than doctors thought and hopes to continue building back his strength.