Gavin Short was a passenger in a Volkswagen Tiguan that crashed on Interstate 35 near Tonkawa, Oklahoma late Friday night, according to a highway patrol. The vehicle was driven by Nicholas Nair, 20, from Denton, Texas. The other passenger was identified as 22-year-old Drake Brooks of Evansville, Indiana, police said. RELATED: A strong tornado is leveling dozens of buildings in Kansas. storm system moving to Chicago Gavin’s parents now hold fast to the images and memories of the life of the ambitious young man who was tragically cut. “It’s every heartache. It’s every nightmare. We never thought it would happen,” said Gavin’s mother, Beth Short. “The pain is simply unknown,” added his father, Alan Short. Flowers lay in front of a work that gave the native Grayslake the title and honor of the Eagle Scout. “I will always take with me that Gavin was a kind giant – he is a kind giant,” said Beth. The students were returning home from a safety storm chasing in Kansas when their car crashed into a seaplane and was hit by a van, officials said. “They were careful with their hunt, they did not come very close,” said Beth. Gavin’s parents said it was the first time Brooks had spotted a tornado. “Knowing Drake, at one point, he called his family when they were going home and told his mom that this was the best night of his life. He had just seen his first tornado and a little later, when the accident happened,” he said. Allen. Galvin’s parents are still numb about his loss, but find solace in knowing that just moments before he died, he was literally chasing a passion he had from his childhood. RELATED: Weather in Chicago: EF-0 Tornadoes Reported in DuPage County, Boone, NWS Says “Gavin kind of became our meteorologist at home and warned us about everything,” Beth said. The ultimate goal of his career was to better understand Mother Nature in order to better help others. “He wanted to make it better for people to know what was coming, to be prepared,” Beth added. His parents said that trying to help others was contagious and they know that their son’s memory will live on in the lives he has touched. “I know if he had the chance, he would have helped, you know, improve the weather forecast for millions of people. And I just know that his friends will continue his legacy,” Alan said. All three were meteorology students at the university, which issued the following statement on Saturday: The university is devastated to learn about the tragic death of three students. Everyone was a valuable and dear member of our community. Right now, we ask the public to respect the privacy of their families. University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harrooz Jr. posted a statement on Twitter on Sunday. Copyright © 2022 WLS-TV. All rights reserved.
