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The life of Andrew Keegan Tinney, who is featured in the Netflix documentary The Twister: Caught in the Storm, took a pivotal turn on May 22, 2011, the day he graduated from Joplin High School. Just hours after his graduation, an EF5 tornado devastated the city of Joplin, Missouri.
As detailed in The Twister: Caught in the Storm, a documentary chronicling the deadly event, Keegan, a popular football team captain, survived the tornado after taking shelter in his family home. His father, who was the chief of the local ambulance district, had previously trained Keegan as an EMT, enabling him to assist immediately once the storm cleared, as per an article by The Direct dated March 21, 2025.
Today, Keegan is the co-founder of Dreyer & Tinney, as highlighted in The Twister: Caught in the Storm, and he continues to live in Joplin.
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The documentary revisits Keegan's personal experience and the broader tragedy that claimed the lives of 161 people. The victims include his close friend Will Norton, whose passing profoundly shaped Keegan's life, as per The Direct. Since then, Keegan has channeled his resilience into a legal career.
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One of the most painful moments for Andrew Keegan, also featured in The Twister: Caught in the Storm, was losing his friend, Will Norton
One of the most painful moments for Andrew Keegan Tinney, as featured in The Twister: Caught in the Storm, was the tragic loss of his close friend, Will Norton.
The film captures the perspective of survivors like Keegan, who was part of the Joplin High School Class of 2011, whose graduation ceremony took place just hours before the tornado devastated their town, as per ksmu.org. While Keegan and his family escaped physical harm by sheltering in their home just beyond the tornado's direct path, many others were not as fortunate.
As the son of the local ambulance district chief, Keegan had undergone EMT training. Once the storm cleared, he quickly set out to assist those affected. The devastation, however, was overwhelming. Keegan recalled the sense of helplessness he felt as he witnessed the once-familiar surroundings of Joplin reduced to debris, as per an article by Moviedelic.com dated March 19, 2025.
Among the tornado's many casualties was Will Norton, a close friend of Keegan's, who was killed during the storm. Norton's loss left a lasting emotional impact on Keegan, a theme central to his story in The Twister: Caught in the Storm. As Keegan shared in the documentary, memories of Will, including their shared moments, such as being featured in one of Will's YouTube videos, remained vivid even years later.
Keegan has since turned to his professional career to continue making an impact. According to Moviedelic.com, he pursued a degree in Political Science and Government at Missouri Southern State University before earning his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.
His legal journey began at Sticklen & Dreyer Law Firm, where he gained valuable courtroom experience before co-founding Dreyer & Tinney. Today, he serves as a partner at the firm while also holding leadership roles within the American Bar Association and the Missouri Bar Association's Young Lawyers Section.
Despite the harrowing experience chronicled in The Twister: Caught in the Storm, Keegan remained committed to his hometown. According to ksmu.org, he continues to live in Joplin, balancing his work as a personal injury lawyer and part-time prosecutor. He shared that working as a prosecutor has reinforced his awareness of how quickly life can change, stating:
“Having that compassion and caring and continuing to help people is really my mission.”
Keegan married Brittany, a healthcare professional at Mercy Hospital, in 2018. The couple has two children and remains rooted in Joplin, surrounded by family and friends, as per The Direct, March 21, 2025.
The Twister: Caught in the Storm also places Keegan's story within the broader context of the community's collective trauma. The EF5 tornado, with winds exceeding 200 mph, was one of the deadliest on record, killing 161 people and causing billions in damage, noted in the Netflix Tudum article dated March 20, 2025.
The documentary features the voices of several survivors, including Keegan, who explained that for Joplin residents, the tornado has become a shared experience. As per ksmu.org, he remarked:
“I will say that if you’re from Joplin, it’s kind of like a belly button. Everyone has one”.
The film reflects on the resilience and recovery that followed. According to Joplin High School's former principal, Kerry Sachetta, leading through the crisis taught him to take things "one day at a time," as reported by ksmu.org.
The Twister: Caught in the Storm is available to stream on Netflix.
