HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — 'Hail Alley' is usually reserved for Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming. However, Middle Tennessee got pelted hard by hail in May.

John Adams told News 2 he was driving along I-65 South on May 20, heading home to Bell Buckle in Bedford County, when his vehicle fell victim to golf ball-sized hail.

"There's absolutely nothing you can do and it sounds like you're driving through a war zone because it's really loud," said Adams.

Adams, a husband and father of one, said he thought about pulling over during the storm, but cars were already parked under the underpass. He added that stopping and letting his car continued to get pelted by hail would've been counterproductive, so he kept driving at 45 mph.

The 44-year-old said he was shocked when he got home and looked at his Bronco Sport.

"My car is covered with hail damage. I thought I would have the small dime-sized hail damage, this was massive golf ball-sized hail," recalled Adams. "My hood is creased and folded, the roof, the doors and quarter panels and everything."

Adams told News 2 he counted over 40 individual dents on his Bronco. After a month of repair shop visits, driving rental cars and a $7,600 repair bill, he recently got his vehicle back.

"I just picked my car up this week. It's been back and forth to the shop, adjusters, paint and body... I had to get a hood replaced," expressed Adams.

News 2 Meteorologist Alex Libby was on-air for much of the storm on May 20. According to him, the outburst that day was destructive, with hail as large as 2.75 inches.

When asked what Adams could've done differently, Libby said the Bell Buckle man was in a no-win situation.

"If you're at home, stay inside," said Libby. "If you don't want your car damaged, bring it into a garage, if you have one. If you're in your car on the interstate, you can't really do anything because you're not supposed to stop under the bridges or overpasses because that can clog up and cause damage much more than what the hail would cause. So you really can't do anything but get home and get safe."

Adams told News 2 that he has insurance, but he's out of pocket for multiple expenses related to the damage, including his insurance deductible.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/this-was-massive-golf-ball-sized-hail-storm-causes-thousands-of-dollars-in-damage-to-bedford-county-mans-suv/