College Student Ejected From Car During Tornado While On Call With Mom
On May 16, 2025, Mya Grimes, a 20-year-old student at Jackson State University, faced what could have been the final moments of her life—but instead, it became a testimony of survival, faith, and resilience. That day, as she drove home through St. Louis, her car was unexpectedly caught in the path of a ferocious EF-3 tornado. What unfolded next was nothing short of miraculous.
The sky had grown dark, but Mya, like many others, didn’t realize how quickly the storm was intensifying. She was driving cautiously, listening to music and talking to her mother on the phone, when the unimaginable happened. The roar of the wind grew deafening, and then her car began to spin violently as if lifted by invisible hands. “I just kept screaming, ‘Jesus!’” Mya later recalled. “I was praying as loud as I could. I thought that was it for me.”
In an instant, the windshield shattered. The vehicle was torn apart by the wind’s brute force. Before she could register what was happening, Mya was ejected from the car and thrown nearly 40 yards down the road. The phone call with her mother ended with a chilling cry—“It’s taking me!”—before the line went dead.
In the aftermath, debris littered the streets, twisted metal and downed trees painting a portrait of chaos. But through the wreckage, Mya opened her eyes. She was battered, bruised, and bleeding, but she was alive. Crawling across broken asphalt with torn clothes and trembling limbs, she pulled herself toward a nearby light pole. Somehow, despite the shock and pain, she had the clarity to wave down a passing driver for help.
She was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors treated her for minor burns, cuts, and bruises—injuries that seemed almost impossible considering the violence of the storm. Miraculously, there were no broken bones, no internal trauma, no head injury. The medical staff were stunned. One nurse reportedly told her, “You shouldn’t have walked away from that.”
The following day, Mya shared her story on Instagram, her post quickly spreading across social media. Alongside a photo of her hospital wristband and bruised hands, she wrote, “I’m not lucky, I’m BLESSED. GOD KEPT ME.” She urged others to look inward and upward, writing, “You’re not too young, too far gone, too imperfect, or too late to turn to God. He hears you. He hears everything.”
Her words resonated far beyond her own circle. Strangers reached out, inspired by her strength and message. Survivors of other natural disasters and people struggling with their own battles saw in Mya not just a survivor, but a spark of hope—a reminder that life can change in a second, and faith can be a lifeline.
For Mya, what began as a regular afternoon drive turned into a moment that redefined her entire life. She spoke of feeling like she had been lifted and carried, not just by the wind but by something greater. “I should be gone,” she said later in a local interview. “But I’m here for a reason. I think God’s not done with me yet.”
The tornado left a scar on St. Louis—homes were destroyed, neighborhoods leveled—but it also revealed stories of courage and survival. And among them, Mya’s story stands out. Not just for the miraculous nature of her escape, but for how she chose to respond: not with anger or fear, but with faith, gratitude, and a voice determined to remind others that no matter how powerful the storm, there is still something stronger.