Tornado breaks Oklahoma man's neck after twister slammed him to the ground as he rushed to find shelter

An Oklahoma man suffered a broken neck after being knocked to the ground by the devastating tornado that tore through his home town at the weekend.

Austin Thompson was rushing to find shelter in downtown Sulphur, a town of around 5,000 people, as a tornado began to sweep through the town on Saturday night.

'When I open the door, I take like a few steps, and I'm like, 'Holy crap, I'm not going to make it 15 feet to the shelter,' Thompson told Koco News. 

'So I turned around to get back in the door I came out of, and as soon as I tried to do that, I just remember hearing the sound of when you get pushed underwater' he explained from his hospital bed. 

'The sound of like just a 'whoosh', and then just remember getting smacked to the ground,' he said but was not able to remember what it was that hit him. 

Austin Thompson suffered a C6 and C7 neck fracture as well as a fractured nose and a two-inch cut on his chin that required thirty staples to close

Sulphur, a town of around 5,000 people, was devastated by a tornado on Saturday night 

Four people died and three hundred people were injured in the state's weekend of extreme weather

Thomson managed to scramble inside and waited for the devastation to pass. 

His friends then helped him make his way to the Artesian Hospital where he learnt that he had a C6 and C7 neck fracture as well as a fractured nose and a two-inch cut on his chin that required thirty staples to close. 

The neck fractures will likely heal within about six weeks.  

Thomson was one among almost three hundred people that were injured in the state's weekend of extreme weather. 

Overall four people in the state died, including a baby, sixty-two people suffered cuts or were pierced, seventy-seven were injured after a fall, seven had poison injuries, fifty-nine were struck by or against something and fifty-six were injuries while out on the road, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

At least twenty-two tornadoes are known to have touched down in Oklahoma over the weekend and that which hit Sulphur was among the most powerful, according to the National Weather Service. 

Sulphur's tornado was classified as EF3 or higher, meaning it was powerful enough to uproot large trees, remove roofs and knock down walls of well-built homes and easily toss cars and heavy vehicles.

It was made all the more dangerous because it hit after 10pm, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Smith. 

'It's human nature to want to see the tornado before you take action, and you're not going to be able to see these tornadoes at night' Smith told the Associated Press.

Sulphur's tornado was classified as EF3 or higher, meaning it was powerful enough to uproot or snap large trees, remove roofs and knock down walls of well-built homes and easily toss cars and heavy vehicles

The tornado was all the more dangerous because it hit after 10pm, according to National Weather Service 

Sulphur's downtown has been largely devastated with cars and buses thrown about, many roofs torn off buildings and others flattened

Sulphur's downtown has been largely devastated with cars and buses thrown about, many roofs torn off buildings and others flattened. 

Many large trees in the town's park were uprooted and splintered with branches tossed far and wide creating obstructions on roads and into homes. 

'How do you rebuild it? This is complete devastation,' Kelly Trussell, a lifelong Sulphur resident told the Associated Press.

'It is crazy, you want to help but where do you start?'

Oklahoma was one of the hardest hit states alongside Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt said at a press conference in Sulphur on Sunday, 'you just can't believe the destruction. It seems like every business downtown has been destroyed.'

Stitt also issued a statement Sunday morning: 'My prayers are with those who lost loved ones as tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma last night.

'Thank you to Oklahoma Emergency Management and those who have worked through the night to keep Oklahomans safe and have worked to clear debris and assess damage.'

Stitt has also declared a state of emergency in 12 counties as crews work to clear debris and assess damage from the severe storms that tore down power lines.