Streamer Hit by Car During Charity Walk
An American Twitch streamer who captured the moment he was struck by a car live on camera has shared with the BBC that he was left in shock after reviewing the footage.
Isaiah Thomas, known online as hmblzayy, embarked on a challenge to walk over 3,000 miles from Philadelphia to California, streaming the journey live to raise funds for building a trade school for children unable to attend college.
On Tuesday, while walking along Route 40 in Richmond, Indiana, Thomas was involved in an incident where a car hit the escort vehicle behind him, which then collided with him.
"It was so fast, but it felt like it was in slow motion; it was like I was just gliding in the air – it was crazy," he said.
"I had so many thoughts running through my mind," he told the BBC. "I'm like, I hope this isn't over. I hope that my injuries aren't too bad."
Thomas revealed that he had been in a serious car accident six months prior and had undergone therapy to relearn how to walk, making the current walk a significant personal milestone.
"I was just in a bad car accident six months ago, so for me to be able to do this walk, I already had to go through therapy and learn how to walk again."
To date, Thomas has raised over $50,000 (approximately £36,000) for his cause. He usually walks facing oncoming traffic, equipped with reflectors and a cart in front of him. However, on this occasion, a fan offered to drive behind him with hazard lights activated. After obtaining police approval, Thomas began the 34th day of his challenge.
During the walk, he was struck from behind on his right side by a car.
After the collision, Thomas noted that once he was able to stand, he observed both vehicles were severely damaged, though neither driver sustained serious injuries.
Emergency Response and Recovery
When emergency services arrived, Thomas showed police a clip of the collision, which one of his moderators had captured from the live stream.
"When I watched the video, that's when I was surprised, like, wow, this car really hit me that hard," he said. "That's when I realised the impact."
Thomas was transported to hospital, where he was fortunate to have only sustained sprained ankles and minor injuries.
Despite the shock from the accident, Thomas remains determined to complete his walk after a brief recovery period.
"For the next three to four days, I'm going to be taking ice baths and really just putting my body through a lot just to get back to where I was," he said.
"I got about three more months left to get there – about 2,000 miles left. So I got a long way to go."
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