On May 20th, an EF5 tornado, one of the most powerful tornadoes ever measured by modern equipment, hit the town of Moore, Oklahoma. Jack Haden was one of the survivors of the utter devestation that wrecked his hometown, though his 2003 Mustang V6 was not so lucky. Yet Haden took a terrible thing and turned it into a symbol of the town’s strength, stripping the roof and doors from his wrecked pony car and driving it around town like a go-kart.

The video of his wrecked Mustang quickly went viral, and Haden was interviewed by 1320 Video, giving a full account of that fateful day, and why he decided to do what he did to his storm-ravaged Mustang.

Haden relates how on May 20th he left work early because of the bad weather, heading to a friend’s storm cellar, where he met up with his eight-months-pregnant wife. The tornado passed right over the Haden family and their friends, leaving so much debris on the storm cellar door that it was difficult to get out. When they emerged, the saw that their whole world had basically been destroyed.

That included the Haden’s house and Jack’s prized Mustang, which he found slammed up against a tree. Amazingly, all it took was a jump start to get the Mustang going again, and Haden didn’t hesitate to drive it a few blocks back to his home. Yes, the tornado tossed the Mustang like a toy several blocks from where it originally was. That’s how strong this storm was.

Unfortunately, Haden only had liability insurance on the Mustang, meaning there will not be any payout with which to replace the car. But in the spirit of making the best out of a bad situation, the Mustang will get a second life as a car-sized go-kart.  Additionally American Muscle has stepped in to help kickstart a campaign to raise money to help out the Haden family. With the goal of raising $14,000 AM kicked in the first $500, half the total funds raised will go to Haden and the rest to OKStrong. That’s the indomitable human spirit for you! AM is asking all Mustang fans who are able, to please donate to the relief efforts. If you’d like to donate to the Moore tornado victims and the Haden family, check out this link.