Four people were killed in the EF3 tornado that leveled much of Matador, Texas June 21, but they weren’t all from Texas.

Purcell native Randy Rolin had pulled his rig into a truck stop around 4 p.m. after putting in his allotted 11 hours of driving time to take his 10 hours of rest.

Rolin was asleep in his sleeper berth when the twister ripped through the area around 8 p.m. pretty much hitting Rolin’s big rig and trailer carrying a Nissan pickup head-on.

Sgt. Johnny Burris the Public Information Officer (PIO) with the Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS) said the number of injuries is now up to 15 with the death count remaining at four.

Burris said residents had only four to six minutes of notice before the storm, packing winds of 145-165 m.p.h. according to the National Weather Service, hit.

Good friend and the owner of the trailer, Kevin Andrews, said Rolin sleeps with his truck running and the air conditioner going so he can sleep.

“He probably didn’t have any idea the storm was coming,” Andrews said.

The rig, which was facing south on the north side of Highway 62, ended up on the south side of the highway facing east, Andrews said.

“We know about the storm striking by GPS,” he said.

Andrews said everything was sucked or slung out of the cab.

“I’ve seen trucks torn up from accidents but never have I seen a rig totally destroyed,” he said.

“There was shrapnel everywhere,” Andrews continued. “It was the first time he’d taken his own truck driving for me.”

Andrews estimated the truck had a value of $80-$90,000, the trailer another $25,000 and the Nissan pickup at about $40,000.

Burris said Rolin was found laying “not too far from the vehicle right off the edge of the roadway.”

“The community lost a tremendous father, friend, husband, a tremendous worker and a tremendous truck driver,” Andrews said.

A complete obituary can be found on page 14A in this week’s Purcell Register.