find us quick because i couldn t do much screaming or anything because my head was pushed into the seat. reporter: she had tried to hold on to lage but couldn t. by the time rescuers got to lage, he had an open head wound and almost didn t make it. he presented with a dilated pupil, which means he has a serious neurologic problem indicating the person is about ready to neurologically die. reporter: lage needed six hours of surgery, which removed part of his skull and brain tissue. now as he keeps watch ore his son, james grigsby has trouble reconciling this picture with a boy who plays soccer, rides horses, and is always on his dad for something. this isn t the young boy who walks up behind me and goad, dad, can i get on the computer? dad, can i play the xbox? dad, can i go and ride my bike? that s not him to see him like this. reporter: as he hangs on every movement from lage, james keeps perspective on what s happening outside the hospital window. i know there s probably
destruction, it s devastating. more tornadoes outside of oklahoma city. the tornado outside oklahoma city now. the tornado that hit joplin has now claimed 118 lives. hundreds and hundreds of people unaccounted for. we re told 1,500 people are listed as missing. survivors face an eerily barren landscape where homes once stood. many families face shattered lives with loved ones lost or badly injured. let s go back to cnn s brian todd in joplin for us. brian, you ve been following one family s very painful story. reporter: we have, wolf. you re hearing these stories all over the place now. victims are telling incredible stories of how they survived this tornado. we met one young man who can t speak for himself. so we spoke to his father, who s holding constant vigil by his side. james has been here virtually every hour since sunday evening, holding a smaller hand, gathering encouragement from every squeeze back or flinch of the leg. just even the smallest
and the israeli and u.s. relations. are the tensions of recent days any worse? any better? i m wolf blitzer and you re in the situation room. first, breaking news this hour. a large tornado has been spotted on the ground in oklahoma and storm-ravaged missouri is being hit by severe weather and possible in the coming hours, searchers in joplin have been taking advantage of the break in the bad weather for a few hours now. 17 people have been pulled alive from the rubble as of last night. but the death toll is far greater. up to 118 right now and that makes this the deadliest single tornado on record in the united states since the weather service began keeping records 60 years ago. almost 500 people have been killed by tornadoes in this country so far this year, including one in that storm and a security camera gives another look at the power of the twisters and how much damage they can do literally in an instant. now more on the twister reported on the ground in oklahoma jus
relations. are the tensions of recent days any worse? any better? i m wolf blitzer and you re in the situation room. first, breaking news this hour. a large tornado has been spotted on the ground in oklahoma and storm-ravaged missouri is being hit by severe weather and possible in the coming hours, searchers in joplin have been taking advantage of the break in the bad weather for a few hours now. 17 people have been pulled alive from the rubble as of last night. but the death toll is far greater. up to 118 right now and that makes this the deadliest single tornado on record in the united states since the weather service began keeping records 60 years ago. almost 500 people have been killed by tornadoes in this country so far this year, including one in that storm and a security camera gives another look at the power of the twisters and how much damage they can do literally in an instant. now more on the twister reported on the ground in oklahoma just minutes ago. the danger