TV reporter hit by car while reporting live on weather impacts

WSAZ Reporter Tori Yorgey (right) and Anchor Tim Irr seconds before Yorgey was hit by a car during a live newscast.

Tori Yorgey, a TV reporter for WSAZ in Huntington, West Virginia, was live on the air amid wintry weather Wednesday night when she was blindsided by a car.

Yorgey, reporting live from Dunbar, a small city in the western part of the state just off Interstate 64, was just about to discuss reports of water main breaks and slick roads amid the freezing conditions when she and her camera were struck and knocked to the ground by the car. Video of the incident shows Yorgey with her back to the approaching vehicle when she was knocked over.

"Oh my God .... I just got hit by a car, but I'm OK!" a visibly shaken Yorgey relayed to anchor Tim Irr who was in the studio. "My whole life just flashed before my eyes, but this is live TV and everything is OK," she said once she was able to get back to her feet and in front of the camera.

Someone at the scene could be heard on the broadcast clip asking if Yorgey was OK, but it's not clear if that was the driver of the vehicle. It's also uncertain if the driver of the vehicle was detained or questioned by the police.

"I thought I was in a safe spot, but clearly we might need to move the camera over a bit, so let me do that while I'm thinking of it," Yorgey said as she resumed her report.

Folks on social media questioned Irr's seeming lack of concern to his co-worker's perilous encounter, but he explained to several outraged Twitter users that he didn't have a good look at what happened.

"Well, I have no control over the controls," Irr responded to one Twitter user. "We remained live, so I was trying to see in the tiny monitor near the camera and listen to Tori, while also trying to remain calm in the situation," he said, adding, "Not an easy situation for sure,"

"Thankfully, Tori says she's OK. But she's headed to the ER to be checked out just in case," Irr said on Twitter.

Apparently, it wasn't the first time Yorgey had been struck by a car, as she noted that she was hit by a car "just like that" while in college, she said during the broadcast.

"That woman was so nice, though. She didn't mean to -- it was an accident. I know it was. And I'm OK and everything's fine," Yorgey continued before somehow soldiering on with her report.

As the clip began to go viral on social media late Wednesday into Thursday morning, a chorus of praise and support for Yorgey from media colleagues throughout the news industry rang out.

"One thing is clear, @toriyorgeytv has super powers!" Lee K. Howard, a WKYT sports anchor in Lexington, Kentucky, marveled. "I would have tossed it back to the station real quick."

"Give it up for @toriyorgeytv here," said Ben Collins, a senior reporter for NBC News. "If I got truck sticked by an F-150 on TV the FCC violation would resolve the national debt."

"I hope you are OK," said Anny Nyberg, a news anchor at WTNH in New Haven, Connecticut. "Make sure you get checked out. I am so sorry. All reporters are thinking of you."

Philadelphia Eagles Lineman Lane Johnson was among those praising Yorgey for her resolve in an impossible situation.

"The real MVP @toriyorgeytv! Philly strong

Gotta get you a jersey," the football player said on Twitter, referring to Yorgey's Philadelphia-area roots.

"Wow. I am flattered by the kindness and well wishes. I am feeling fine, just a little sore! Thank you all so much," Yorgey said on Twitter Thursday evening. "For the record: @WSAZirr couldn't see what was happening in that moment. He is one of the kindest people I know, and was first to call to check on me."

Yorgey did not respond to a request for comment from AccuWeather.

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