BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — Gabe Bennett was driving home from work Tuesday afternoon in the middle of a storm warning.

“The rain started to hit really strong, and I started to crank the window and then ‘boom.’ I didn’t see anything. It hit!”

A large limb smashed the center of his roof, splitting the truck in half. The window was broken, and the passenger side was completely destroyed. HIs truck is totaled.

“It felt like hell was breaking loose, and I needed to get out of here because what if something else falls on me.”

Bennett, who was bleeding, walked 10 feet to the house of a neighbor who called 911. Doctors say Bennett fractured his lower back, bumped his head, and got a few cuts.

He also was among the tens of thousands of Monroe County residents still without power Wednesday.

A Duke Energy spokesperson says neighborhood power lines and main transmission lines were damaged from the storm. The utility has restored five of six main powerlines in Monroe County, and dedicated 500 employees to service the area.

But, Duke Energy did not have a timeline on when all power will be restored. In total, the storm led to 95,000 power outages for Duke, and about half had been restored by late Wednesday afternoon. 

Even without power, Bennett was in good spirits on Wednesday. The moment he saw his wife while in the hospital bed, he said, “She walked in, and it hit me. I could have left my family; my kids with no dad. I’m so thankful to be alive.”

Bennett, who owns a tile business, says damages to his truck and tools will cost him about $15,000, and, unfortunately, his insurance won’t cover it. 

• Power outages peak at 103,000 in Indiana; Monroe County declares disaster
• More than 37,000 remain without power late Wednesday afternoon in Indiana after Tuesday storms

Images below from Gabe Bennett