Jason C. knew OnStar was with him when he encountered a dangerous storm system on his way home from a weekend at the lake
Growing up in tornado country, Jason C. remembers his father leading him outside when severe weather approached. Jason would stand on the picnic table, and his dad would point to the sky and show him what to watch for before they’d race to the basement and listen to the radio for updates.
On May 19, it was OnStar he was happy to have with him when he ran into a nasty line of storms.
He lives in Kansas City and has a vacation home near Lake of the Ozarks. He had spent the weekend there working on assorted projects, which is why he drove his Escalade. “It’s my people-moving and stuff-moving vehicle,” he says. That decision would pay off on his way home.
“I grew up in tornado land,” Jason says. “If you’re at home, you’re under the basement. If you’re in a car, you get as close as you can to a ditch.”As he headed back home to Kansas City, the weather turned. So much so that once when he checked his rearview mirror, he saw a storm chasing vehicle from a local news station. He figured if he went in the opposite direction of that vehicle, he’d be fine. Instead, he drove straight into the teeth of a storm the National Weather Service would later credit with sparking 10 tornados across the region.
He found a spot away from trees that was near a ditch and wasn’t under a power line. And it was then that OnStar alerted him that a tornado watch had turned into a warning. “It was clear that there was an emergency going on via the vehicle,” Jason says.
A hands-free driving fan
When it came time to buy his Cadillac Escalade, Jason spent plenty of time doing online research. There was one feature in particular that had his attention: available Super Cruise® hands-free driver assistance tech. He thought about the roads he drives most often then checked to make sure they were Super Cruise-compatible. They were. “I use Super Cruise almost every time I drive,” Jason says.
“With OnStar, I can check the diagnostics of the car. I can see, how many miles I have until empty. And I can also just make sure that the car is okay and in the place that I parked it. That's awesome."
Jason C | OnStar Member
When the storm finally passed, a tornado had missed him by maybe 1,500 feet. “It was a very emotional moment,” Jason says. “A tree fell within probably 30 feet of the car and power lines within 20 feet of the car.”
Looking around, he was relieved to see the other cars that had pulled over around him were safe. There was plenty of damage, but people immediately went to work helping each other. He was able to get back on the road and get home, but he knew assistance was a button-push away if he needed it.
More than two decades ago, he bought a Chevrolet Suburban with OnStar. Back then, he’d turn to Advisors for directions and restaurant recommendations. “It was the button,” he said. He liked all that was available when he’d push the blue OnStar button and connect to an Advisor.
These days, he enjoys activating Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance technology whenever he’s on a compatible road, and he appreciates that added sense of security that comes from OnStar safety features and the knowledge that those Advisors are still there if he needs them.
“I’m grateful it’s in the vehicle because it’s another layer of protection,” he says.
“Super Cruise has been an absolute lifesaver, especially on those longer trips where I want that assist in terms of driving the vehicle,” Jason says.
