Has anyone survived a tornado?

There are numerous recorded instances of adults and children who have been physically lifted by a tornado and survived the experience. One case involved a young boy who was wearing a bike helmet when a 2011 tornado in Joplin, Mo. enveloped him.

Although he was struck by debris in the head, he survived. Some experts suggest that past survival cases largely depend on luck and age, positing that children may have an advantage over adults. Their smaller size and more pliable skeletal structures are more likely to resist injury from flying debris. One common theory to surviving being lifted by a tornado involves being lifted alongside a larger item, which acts as a shield against the vortex of debris.