A barrage of storms and an EF-3 tornado on Friday killed at least 13 people in Oklahoma and Arkansas, including experienced storm chasing researchers Tim Samaras, his son Paul Samaras and their colleague Carl Young.

All three were killed as they tried to document and research the violent storm that tore through the Midwest on Friday.

Tim, pictured left, was found in the car still wearing a seatbelt, according to ABC. Paul and Young were both pulled from the vehicle by the tornado, which left one of them half a mile away.

Samaras’s team has shared their dramatic storm-chasing videos with television networks and other researchers for many years.

Tim, a renowned researcher and the leader of the storm-chasing team, was known not only for his research but for his caution in the field.

“He looked at tornadoes not for the spotlight of TV but for the scientific aspect,” Tim’s brother Jim Samaras told the Associated Press, according to the Guardian. “At the end of the day, he wanted to save lives and he gave the ultimate sacrifice for that.”

“It's something we've done countless times in the past and have done it successfully and safely,” commented Tony Laubauch, who was working with the three men on Friday night, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “And, you know, whatever happened on this one, it's just horrible beyond words.”

Chris West, undersheriff in Canadian County, where the men were killed, commended their efforts: “They put themselves in harm's way so that they can educate the public about the destructive power of these storms.”

Tim, 54, despite his cautious attitude toward storm-chasing, became trapped on the highway with Paul, 24, and Young, 45. Tim's last tweet was a picture of the impending storm that would take their lives.

Images:Twitter, Twitter