wow, small world.

that it is.

Sadly, this all too common. Usually it doesn't make the national news media.

A lot of news corporations have interests in the alcohol market. So do politicians. They need to protect their interests, its why they spend millions of dollars to get a job that pays a couple hundred grand.

I live just south of where this happen and it is not that Oka drivers are bad. In this area Oka has a big drug problem. Just ask any law enforcement in the area. But I was hit head on once too but it was cause of someone texting and driving. Only wish the law would let me install a cell jammer in my car to stop thos around me from using their phones.

brent guthrie

AG99, I agree with you about the quality of drivers here. I've driven all over the country, and Oklahoma drivers are the WORST I've ever seen. In the seven years I've lived here, they may have even become worse than usual.

What an ignorant thing to type and think.

You say you have driven all across the country, but have you lived in all 50 states? Living in and passing through are very different scenarios. Have you lived in any foreign countries? Unless you have first hand knowledge of the regular driving habits in all 50 states or in any other country your opinion is severely one sided.

I have lived in Oklahoma most of my life (46 of 54 years) and Oklahoma drivers are just average drivers, the same you will find in most states. While I will agree it appears drivers are becoming worse here, it really is all of the people becoming familiar with our streets and highways who have recently moved here from other states. Oklahoma has had a record breaking growth in population due to people moving here during these hard economic times. Oklahoma was rated 5th in the nation for lowest home costs and cost of living, in addition to a good job market.

If you think it's so bad here feel free to pick from the other 49 states to call home, but keep your incorrect bad mouthing to yourself.

brent--well, if you are from Texas, it is possible that you think that Oklahoma drivers are "bad." Remember that people who speed dreadfully, tailgate, and dodge in and out of traffic generally do not do so because they think other drivers are "good"--they are convinced that they are "bad."

Drivers in Oklahoma are pretty average--not great, not bad. They do not drive like aggressive Texans or New Yorkers or people from DC, however. They pretty much get in a lane and stay in it--even though that's not always wise. Being used to driving in rural areas, they sort of do their own thing. There is a big issue with drugs, also, in many rural areas.

But, yeah--if you think that other people are "bad drivers," it may well be you that deserve the term.

I am sorry for Mr. Gabrielson's daughter and his other family members--I hope that she will have some good memories of her dad.

Interesting - you belittle someone for using the term "bad driver" and for assuming all people in Oklahoma are bad drivers, yet you also use those same assumptions in stating that all drivers in Texas or NY (both of which are rife with both large urban areas, and very rural areas) are aggressive.

Interesting.

Deepest sympathies to the Gabrielson family.

@ realist:

Please read my comment: 1.6

We didn't get that statistic for being average now did we?

I work @ 51st & Memorial, 2 miles south is 71st & Memorial (Both are on that top 10 list). I see it all of the time.

I will admit, when i first read his comment i was slightly offended. Then i realized he was right.

Being born and raised in this area i can say without prejudice, Tulsa is full of idiots.

I agree, Lizzie. Not very appropriate comment especially for the first one. That's why I didn't reply to it.

RIP Andy G.

Agreed as well. Since when has becoming so indifferent to the suffering or deaths of others become to acceptable? I'm glad to see there are still some people who have empathy. My thoughts and sympathies are with those that lost him, it's such a shame to be killed in 'this' way, if that other person was drunk I hope he spends a lot of time in jail thinking about the life he took because of his exceedingly poor choice.

It is a combination of scientific enquiry, fear of the unknown, and the thrill of danger that drives the storm chaser. We tried to start a severe storms chase team at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln back in the early 1980s, but many of the meteorology students at the time had to work. I grew up fearing tornadoes, and I wanted to know everything about them. Even though a math weakness forced me to change majors a few years later, I still love weather. However, the only reason I personally would chase tornadoes is for scientific study. I respect Nature too much to chase tornadoes JUST for the thrill of it! But this meteorologist did not die chasing tornadoes, he died because somebody was drinking and driving!

WTF is the matter with you? Can't you read? Or is alcohol a factor?

Tornado-chasers are not thrill-seekers. They are amazing people who make all of our lives safer.

And yes, he was driving home from his job. A job I doubt very much you have the juice to do.

I agree. Where do people get off making comments like that about someone who has just died? Maybe they're "antagonist bots" written by wierd people just to mess up threads for some reason?

to jkatze: steelpony was quoting a previous poster "Ines.." with the line about the thrill seeker.

He wasn't killed while chasing a tornado but on his way home by a drunk driver going the wrong way on a highway. Drunk drivers and morons on the road are more dangerous than tornadoes.

I know it is little comfort but you and his family have my sympathies Kasey. Andy was providing a valuable service to society and I am sure the weather watching community will feel his loss.

Such a terrible waste all because someone decided to get drunk, get in his vehicle and turn the key.

Thank you so much for your nice comment. It is hitting home for a lot of us. I am still in disbelief. I grieved but then I got angry. All of us storm spotters put up a tribute on a radar program we use called GRLevel3. You can check out the picture here:

We hope you all enjoy the photo as Andy has brought together a community who loved him in a very touching way.

My sympathy, too, Kasey. There was a time in my life that the mere possibility of a tornado would put me in a sick panic. People like Andy who teach us so much and give us that margin of safety helped me to overcome my irrational panic. May he rest in peace.

Although from what you've written I have to wonder if Andy is watching the storms from an entirely different perspective.

Are you on crack? He was studying and researching the weather to develop better ways to protect everyone and you find fault with that? I just don't get some people.

To die because of someone else's stupidity and disregard for others is heartbreaking. A young father makes it worse. If everyone "stayed with their family and close by" there would be no police, firefighters, military, surgeons or others who sacrifice time with their loved ones to provide a service for his/her fellow citizens.

Kasey, my deepest sympathy to you and his family and greatest respect for your friend.

Such a terrible thing to happen to someone so young. My prayers are with him and those he left behind.

crack hunh? guess you saw the movie. we have cell phones, radar, satellite imaging now. We can use this now and stay close to home and conserve our natural resources as a whole. We should. Because things like this are very sad and everyone should drive as little as possible. Every time we get in a car we take a risk, so do it as little as possible. I do agree that Drunk driving penalties SHOULD BE ALOT more extreme than they are!

1Surrviivor-

Learn how to spell before you post-or a least learn where your spell-check key is!

It's incredible the number of unsympathetic comments from people who don't even get the reason he died and are not even aware of the unbelievable work tornadoes chasers do. A lot of ignorance and attention deficit on these boards. Probably a lot of drunk drivers too.

u are quite the pussy BARBARA

1surrviivor said:
"a valuable service to society is staying with your family and bieng nearby when needed , not driving all over the midwest"

That's completely true - if you're completely self-centered and only have compassion for those closest to you. Fortunately, a great number of people do work that is good for others beyond their own circle.

"in a gas hog"
Have you ever watched one of the shows with the chasers? Do you think a compact car would be able to stay on the road in the wind gusts that accompany severe storms?

Some storm chasers may be in the thrills business, but a lot provide a legit service. Doppler raid can tell you there *might* be a tornado - it still requires eyeballs on the ground to confirm ait, report back size, direction, etc. With a force of nature where every second counts, people who provide this service save lives.

A person/father/friend/etc. has died (like so many others) at the hands of a drunk driver.

No matter what Andy did in life, the fact remains that alcohol once again kills innocent people. Personally I don't think those who kill while drunk behind the wheel can ever be punished enough for their crime. "Living with the knowledge" just seems really hollow. I've known too many people who have suffered and died because of alcohol. This is a sad loss that should never have happened. My best friend and her son are recovering from a head-on collision with some son-of-a-bitch driving while he was high. I just wish justice could be dealt out by those victimized by the genetically deficient. I'd like to give my 2 cents worth to the bastard for almost taking my best friend and her son's lives. They were very lucky. I hope the driver who hit Andy didn't die and can at least suffer what small justice our system doles out. My sympathies to Andy"s family and friends. This is so not right.

Kasey

Commiserations for your loss. I'm looking at GR3 and don't see the tribute.

Winblowzxp,
Set the radar site to Wichita, Kansas. Everyone is doing the tribute in the Kansas area. Or you can go to Spotter Network website & zoom in on Kansas on their map. The tribute is still going. Thank you so much for your comment. A lot of people have been very hurt by this tragedy as he impacted a lot of his friends in a very positive way.

The speed limit on that part of the interstate is 75 mph. A head-on collision there would be fatal.

It's always the worthless garbage destroying the best and brightest. It's high time we chlorinated the gene pool, just exterminate all the rabble and be done with it.

All the article says, is another person was killed in a 4 car accident, it doesn't mention if the other person was the drunk driver that caused the accident. Drunks are resilient, someone in another vehicle may have been killed. The author should clarify who the other victim or perpetrator was. Another case of superficial reporting.

7.3 was directed @ brent guthrie, "a head-on collision there would be fatal." Maybe not.

Raincheck, couldn't agree more. I just hope the other fatality was the DUI and not some other innocent person.

BTW, the 'other fatality' should be known by now.

Jazzyarizona

The sad truth is there are tons of drunk drivers who have lost their licenses and still drive. One killed three of my friends - did 6 months in jail w/ a $300 fine. You can take their licenses away - but they keep getting behind the wheel time after time after time. And it is good people like Andy who end up paying the piper. My prayers to his family all those injured or killed each and every day on our highways by dumb drunks.

Ken, Who and where was that? He only got 6 months and 300 dollar fine with a fatality involved? You can get at least that sentance in most states without a fatality.

That must have been a previous DUI conviction before anyone was killed? At least I would hope so but would be curious about the details of where, who and what happened.

And their tounge

You must be a 'sharia law' fan. Nice.

I agree that DUI needs to be stricter for first offenses and by the second offense it should be up to 10 years in prison, but let's not go cutting off their limbs.

In California you can end up with 3 strikes and up with a life sentance for 3 felonies and DUI is included.

Lose a hand or a foot......Plan on killing any Infedels today lee?

The ones who get caught are not the ones killing folks in wrecks.

Solution, legalize Marijuana.

In Alaska not a week goes by we don't have DUIs traced to druggies as well as drinkers using pot, cocaine and other feel good drugs besides beer, wine and whiskey. Just check the Alaska State Trooper's web site for the totals. In this state DUI is driving while under the influence of drugs of any kind that impedes the safety of others on the road.

Could not agree more, magsnak. A drunk driver is no different than a killer walking around with a high power rifle ready to unleash on a crowd. DUI is actually a lot worse because of the damage you can do with a car or truck or whatever. The crime of DUI should be treated the same as premeditated killing.

Problem with the three strikes rule is that people are just as deadly with the first one or two. While lives would be saved with a law like this, more needs to be done before it gets to that point to start with.

I survived a head-on collision back in the day when vehicles were built like tanks, but unfortunately, my mother did not. Speeds were slower back then as well. From what I read of the article, this man would've stood a better chance with a tornado.

My prayers go out to his friends and family.

His family also? You're going overboard there.

More sharia law comments? Thanks but no thanks.

"Your family is also incarcerated for life, for your stupidity." Your plane tickets to North Korea are ready for pickup.

That threat may be the only thing that stops some people, thinking that their drinking will hurt their child.

Even in texas where even the first dui offense puts you in jail for a minimum of 3 days does not stop lots of people every weekend from getting locked up. With the penalty for doing it a second time being minimum 30 days in jail does not deter a lot of people either.

There has to be something that scares them more than just jail, maybe a alcohol monitor that shocks the crap out of them every time it detects drinking. Not that the whiny human rights activists would allow it

Yes. RIP AG.

What's sad is that you use the name Einstein. I'm guessing it's meant to be ironic. Or it could be your real name, which would be just as ironic.

Prepration-H it will do you wonders.

Wow... must be awful to be like you.

Oh, yes, by all means we should go to fairus.org where people make up figures and justify their absurd hatred of undocumented workers (many of whom were born in the US, but do not have birth certificates for the same reason that poor European Americans in Appalachia don't have them). For many decades, people were allowed to cross the border because--as GW Bush told us--they were necessary to the economy.

The wrong-way driver is also dead--they are withholding his name, probably pending notification of his family. But, Oklahoma has been very big on forcing out Hispanics, so I really wouldn't jump to the assumption that the person was an undocumented worker. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't--but in Sapulpa, wrong-way, drunken drivers are usually from the area.

The median age in Sapulpa is about 38--when one has a high median age, it indicates that there are few Hispanics, as Hispanics generally have large families and more young children. There's no reason to assume that the wrong-way driver, who is now deceased also, was an illegal alien. Way to change the subject, guy. Politicizing this is wrong on so many levels.

I hope that the young man's family is doing okay--I understand that they have already made plans for his funeral. So sad.

SCCMSTL

The video these people capture does help way more than your comment states and you are just wrong and uninformed period.

The weather service and other agencies do use those videos these people risk there lives for to see how a tornado is formed, direction, etc, They watch were the debris is falling and all sorts of other things that you just know nothing about so maybe next time just bite your tongue before you open up on someone and there job that you do not know enough about. I am no expert but I seem to know way more than you do and I am in my 50's sir.

Everyone chooses a profession they can enjoy and this one is a difficult one at best so be thankful for people like this. I am!

To the Mr. Gabrielson family, I am sorry for your loss. May he rest in peace always...

SCC,

What does all that have to do with this poor young person's death? Your picture looks very mature, but the comment about the value of storm chasers in general, is not appropriate to this thread and has nothing to do with this young person's tragic demise.

sccmstl: Feel sorry for you sir. Do you just hide in your home? Did you you know, people also sky-dive, boat, camp and many other activity's, you may deem un-necessary?

Get out of your house. Get out of your city. Live a little.

I can answer that for you, SCCMSTL.
Radar can not tell you if a tornado is on the ground unless there's a rare case of a large tornado going through a town throwing debris high enough that a debris ball is formed on radar. Chasers, who do also do it for the excitement & love of weather, also do it to provide information on the ground. When a chaser spots a tornado, most of them are either connected with Ham Radio or call the National Weather Service immediately to CONFIRM a tornado is on the ground, where it is, & what direction it is headed. If you watch The Weather Channel at all during severe events, such as last year's break out in Alabama, you would have seen that TWC used a lot of Andy's LIVE streaming footage to prove to people in the path of the storm that a tornado is on the ground so they will seek shelter. The National Weather Service released a report not long ago about last year's tragic event & suggested that too many people try to go outside & look for the tornado themselves when a warning is issued but no confirmation has been made by a chaser. Usually by the time they see the tornado, it is too late, especially when the tornado is large & looks like a huge cloud.
Chasers like Andy have been punching through this problem head on by providing real-time live footage to sources like TWC so when sirens go off, all they have to do is flip it to the TWC on t.v. & get their confirmation. The words, "A storm chaser has confirmed a tornado on the ground" by the people at The Weather Channel prove to save more lives than just, "A tornado warning has been issued & radar indicates that a possible tornado is on the ground." Because of this & because of the chasers on the ground, the most recent Alabama break-out last month only killed a couple of people... instead of hundreds, because of chasers getting that information out there quickly that confirmed tornadoes are actually on the ground.
You may think they only do it for the thrill... but there is far more behind it than meets the eye.

Responding to my critics, it's clear you folks have bought into the hype of the TV weather pukes and their cousins on the Weather Channel. "Storm Chasers" serve no useful purpose other than to liven up the mundane process of providing weather forecasting. It is theater, nothing more. Andy Gabrielson's death by drunk driver was tragic, unnecessary, and a complete waste of the man's potential.

Having lived through three tornadoes in my life (IN the tornadoes, not watching TV coverage of one miles away), I don't need the Weather Channel, NOAA, or the local TV weather pukes to tell me the conditions are ripe for a tornado. I especially don't need thrill-seekers in big SUVs driving around like maniacs to tell me a tornado has touched down in the area. Their function is completely superfluous, and quite possibly a danger to others trying to seek cover.

To the good Mr. Tumbleweed, I must admit that I do stay close to home these days. After four years in Saudi Arabia, four years in Bosnia, and a year each in Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and occasional forays into south Chicago, I have had my fill of excitement.

To the limited muddiemike, please consider proof-reading your work, and perhaps learning the difference between "there" and "their".

Yes, I am opinionated, cynical, and generally disappointed with the ignorance and general stupidity of my countrymen, especially the tea-baggers and the so-called "religious" right.

Four more years with Obama will straighten out this county!!!

SCCMSTL--wow, great response to your "critics." Apparently, they are all stupid and have bought into the idea of "pukes."

Storm spotters are extremely helpful for those of us who would like to know that there are tornadoes in the area and don't really care to just sit in our homes and hope for the best. People do travel on roads--and many people are unaware when a tornado has touched down. Storm spotters are the single best way of knowing when a tornado has actually touched down--they let people know when to call their loved ones and tell them to turn their car around and head in the other direction or to delay coming home until storms are out of the path.

It is true that "storm chasers" who are mostly thrill seekers are not particularly useful--but as long as they stay out of the way (and they generally stay miles away, as that is the best way to get good photographs), they aren't a huge problem. But, this gentleman worked with a weather channel and performed good service spotting tornadoes and helping to get warnings issued--there is a distinction between a person who chases for thrills and one who works with local agencies to improve weather reporting.

I also live in a tornado-prone area, and I remember quite vividly the May 3 tornado--which occurred on a weekend, on a beautiful sunny day which found many people traveling on the roads to go out to dinner or working in their yards. Few people were watching the weather as it simply did not look like tornado weather--up until about 15 minutes before the tornado tore through town.

I happened to be watching the television and knew it was coming--many people I know had no idea until the sirens went off, and they went inside to see what the ruckus was about, and had barely enough time to cram the kids in the closet with a blanket before the tornado hit.

Just in passing--you didn't need the comma in the sentence beginning "Their function," "proofreading" is one word, the tem "tea-baggers" is a slur term that demonstrates that your tossing about the term "ignorance" in reference to others is not wise, and we do not use multiple exclamation marks unless we are fourteen-year-old girls. Few people have the time to proofread their comments--and I generally don't worry with it, myself.

I appreciate the work of legitimate storm chasers like Mr. Gabrielson--they help to educate people about the dangers of tornadoes and explain how they work as well as helping to track actual tornadoes as they develop . . . knowledge that might have been handy for the people in Tuscaloosa, don't you think?

To "beanathome", I use often the comma to establish a pause in the flow of the mental voice for the reader. They are often not necessary, but meant as an enhancement to understanding. I use the "Oxford Comma" as well, and employ arcane spellings and usage whenever possible.

"Tea-bagger" is another issue altogether. Purposeful use of a slur term to describe that mindless group of nitwits that has spread like a STD amongst camp followers, warms the cockles of my heart and brightens my day whenever I have the opportunity to deploy it. The only folks lower than tea-baggers on my nitwit scale are those who believe Ronald Reagan was a great president.

All things considered, tornadoes are just another of nature's tools to cull the gene pool.

Use your imagination Lisa. There's no need to fudge your huggies, over the mentioning of ILLEGAL aliens. It's just showing that there's bigger problems in todays society with the topic. Then what the story tells. That is all. Now make this one disappear MNSBC!

Einstein--I hope you know that this term is generally used satirically, just saying.

In any case, MSNBC is picking this story up from the OHP, not precisely a hotbed of liberal thought. That they have not yet released the name of the person (also dead) who caused the accident suggests that the person was not an illegal alien, but might have been a local whose family doesn't want to be the recipient of death threats from devotees of the television show this young man appeared on.

But, yes, the wrong-way driver might have been a Martian. He might have been a leprauchan. He might have been a right-wing, Republican-voting, Bible-thumping preacher. We really don't know who it was--all we know is that he is dead (I think it's a "he," if I read the original story correctly). So, yes, bringing up illegal aliens for no reason when we really should be expressing sympathy for this young man's family is extremely inappropriate--have a great day.

jerk

Given that posting to a website is not a law enforcement activity there is no issue with speculation at all.

As to the issue of DUI of course it is pre-meditated - with the only exception being if someone ties you down, forces you to drink then puts you in a car with a gun to your head and tells you to drive, otherwise at some point you are sober and you CHOOSE to drink.

And no we are not serious about DUI's - we allow people multiple chances before we even start to get serious, then they far to often still get to keep their car, their license, their ability to get behind the wheel.

You remind me of people I have known who want to be able to drink and drive and then justify their drunk driving.

Nick--when people choose to get intoxicated without providing themselves a way to get home or nominating a person to watch over them, they are being irresponsible. When a person kills another through irresponsibility or endangers others through irresponsibility--that's either manslaughter or criminal negligence. It really doesn't matter that the drunken person wasn't making a deliberate choice--it matters that the drunken person was being irresponsible, and s/he is penalized appropriately.

We have an issue with alcohol in this country for the same reason that we have a problem with guns--it is the attitude of the culture. Your attitude, specifically, sums up why we have a problem. People who are responsible about their drinking and expect others to be responsible generally don't have as huge an issue.

In any case, it is legal in the state of Texas and the state of Oklahoma for teenagers to drink (principally beer in Oklahoma)--just as it is legal in many, many other states. The teen or young adult simply has to be in the company of his/her parents and to have their consent (and sometimes has to be on private property). The idea is that this assures that a responsible person is watching over the teen--it doesn't work terribly well, but the fact is that it is still legal for young people to drink, and it is very old to listen to people claim that our age limits are "too high" and that lowering them will magically correct the problem (didn't work when the age limits were lowered in the 1960s, you know).

Try checking states where it is legal for under-21s to drink under the supervision of an adult (usually a parent, but also a guardian or spouse) and compare them to states where this is not legal--do you see more or fewer deaths due to DUI? I think you will be surprised--I already know, but go check for yourself.