Houston tornado: Family trapped in SUV as tornado rips through Pasadena

PASADENA, Texas - A Pearland, Texas family spoke out after they were trapped inside their car in the middle of a tornado, and they caught the frightening moments on camera.

"You could hear it, you could hear it hitting our vehicle," said Irma Cantu who was driving the SUV. 

Cantu's daughter, Erika Mercado, was on the passenger's side and Mercado's 18-year-old son was in the back seat, they had just picked him up from Pasadena High School. 

"I felt like we were going to die, I was just in shock," Mercado said. 

Cantu told her daughter and grandson to get down and that's when the SUV started rocking side to side and her windows shattered.  

"She reclined her chair down, I put my head down and my son put his body on top of my body and our windows blew out and glass was everywhere. I think had we not laid as low as we possibly could've, one of us would have been severely injured," Mercado said. 

Despite flying debris and broken glass everywhere, the family managed to escape with only minor cuts and bruises. They tell FOX 26 that this near-death experience has bonded them in an indescribable way. 

"I was holding his hand. I was holding my mom's hand. After that day, my son just keeps telling me how much he loves me and I think it just made all of our relationships closer," Mercado said. 

However, Mercado says not only did it strengthen their bond, but it also strengthened their faith; in the footage, you can hear Erika's immediate reaction was to start to pray.  

"I felt that my relationship with God and calling out to him that he would protect us," she said.