Watch as TV reporter is struck by a vehicle during broadcast. ‘That’s live TV for ya’

Mike Stunson
·2 min read

A TV reporter with WSAZ Channel 2 in West Virginia was struck by a vehicle during a report — then continued with her live segment.

It happened Wednesday, Jan. 19, in Dunbar, where Tori Yorgey was reporting on a water main break in the town located in the western part of West Virginia.

As Yorgey was about to begin her report with anchor Tim Irr on the split screen, you see a vehicle come up from behind the reporter and strike her.

“I just got hit by a car but I’m OK, Tim,” Yorgey said after the car struck her and toppled her camera. “That’s live TV for ya.”

It’s not the first time that has happened to Yorgey, she went on to tell Irr. Yorgey informed the anchor she was also struck by a car while she was reporting in college at Penn State University.

WSAZ did not cut away from Yorgey, who appeared OK as she continued her segment. It’s likely one of her last news reports at the station, as she said this week is her last at WSAZ.

She almost didn’t make it to Pittsburgh, where she will soon begin a new job at WTAE.

“My whole life flashed before my eyes, but this is live TV and that’ s OK,” she said.

Many TV reporters came to the defense of Yorgey, saying this sort of thing happens all too often.

“If you just go down the list of replies, retweets, etc... you will find that there are essentially zero local journalists surprised that she is in this situation,” KDRV reporter Cameron Derby said. “Everyone sad. No one shocked. This is how reporters are treated.”

“Nothing about this is OK. Having her out there one man banding, late at night, with no one to literally watch her back is not OK,” CBS Sports reporter AJ Ross commented. “Not immediately dumping out of that live shot and calling her to make sure she was OK for real and not ‘live tv OK’ is not OK. I could go on and on…”

“To me this highlights some of the dehumanizing things reporters have to go through especially in smaller markets, all for a precious deadline,” said Hannah Rucker with KVUE.