Get our free mobile app

It was quite a weekend for 16-year-old Riley Leon of Elgin, Texas. His week started off horribly last Monday afternoon because he was the driver of that red Chevy Silverado that was swept up by the tornado that became a viral sensation. We reported on this last week and then learned he was going to be receiving a new Chevy Silverado from a Ft. Worth dealership.

The 2004 red Chevy Silverado truck he nicknamed 'La Roja' was a family generational truck that he just paid off his dad for, was severely damaged after being tossed around by a tornado. He tells the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "it left me speechless seeing how bad my truck was." He was proud of that truck and it meant a lot to his family.

At the Bruce Lowrie Chevrolet dealership in Ft. Worth Saturday, Leon was gifted with a new 2022 red Chevrolet Silverado along with another special gift, a check for $15,000 to help out with any other expenses. Being extremely grateful for the generosity from the dealership, he also hopes that one day he'll be able to repair that old 'tornado truck' that had been passed down through the generations because it holds so many memories for the family.

Leon's hometown is also assisting his family, as well as people from across the nation through a GoFund Me account that was set up by his school's nurse. The account already has more than $42,000 dollars in it. While he is recovering from a few scrapes and a fractured back he'll be driving that sparkling new red 2022 Chevy Silverado to his first job at Whataburger.

Bruce Lowrie Chevrolet via Facebook
Bruce Lowrie Chevrolet via Facebook
loading...

Texas DMV Denies These Personalized License Plates

Vanity (or personalized) license plates on vehicles can be fun and whimsical. Some owners get very creative when it comes to the right combination of letters and numbers to get their message across in those precious seven characters or less. However, the State of Texas didn't approve the requests to have these personalized plates printed.

KEEP READING: What to do after a tornado strikes

Historic Home Tour Showcases Beautiful Historic Homes in Tyler

More From 101.5 KNUE