London mother, toddler survive being blown away by tornado: ‘I hear him crying’

LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Tara Hollifield and her almost two-year-old son Parker were blown away in the tornado Friday evening into Saturday morning.

“I could hear the wind picking up, and I knew that that was bad,” said Hollifield.

She said the power went out before the tornado hit, so she got up to get her son.

“I didn’t make it there,” Hollifield said. “I was probably about [at] my front door when it hit, and it flew me in the air for a few seconds. When I got down, I immediately went to look for him.”

Terrifying was the only way she could describe that night, but miraculously, she found Parker.

“I heard him crying, and that’s how I was able to find him, thankfully.”

Once she found Parker, she went down the road to find her dad, and then they went straight to the hospital.

“He has some scratches on his head and stuff, but no concussion, no broken bones, nothing like that,” added Hollifield. “And the same for me. I did have to get stitches in my head, but other than a few scratches and bruises, we’re both okay.”

Although they’re both okay, the events of that night are something that replays in Hollifield’s mind every day.

“It’s hard to sleep at night because I feel like I revisit it every single night. But I’m holding up the best I can. I have tons of family who are supporting me and taking care of me.”

As for their future, Hollifield said she and her family are working on getting back on their feet, however long it takes to get there.

“Hold your kids tighter because you never know when something like this could happen, and I’m thankful,” said Hollifield. “Everybody around me, they all passed away. And I’m just thankful that me and him are both still standing here.”