Video of Reporter Getting Hit by Car on Live TV Sparks Debate About Staffing Issues

A widely shared video of a local news reporter in West Virginia getting struck by a car on live TV Wednesday night has sparked an online debate that multimedia journalists (MMJs) are overworked and the news organizations they work for are understaffed.

Tori Yorgey, a TV reporter for NBC affiliate WSAZ, was hit by a vehicle from behind while reporting at the scene of a water main break in Dunbar, West Virginia. In the clip, Yorgey can be seen getting struck and falling to the ground before quickly bouncing back to her feet and explaining to viewers that she was alright.

"Oh my God. I just got by a car, but I'm okay!" she said, as she came back into view to finish her report. "You know that's live TV for ya!" she added. "It's all good. I actually got hit by a car in college too just like that. I am so glad I'm okay."

The clip has since been shared on social media by fellow reporters who have praised Yorgey for her professionalism and grace in continuing her report. However, other media professionals viewed the incident as an example of the unnecessary demands that multimedia journalists face daily.

"We're losing so many people in this industry for a number of reasons but one of them is because they're burnt out and overworked as MMJs. One getting hit by a car on live tv shouldn't be the wake-up call," Kayla Solomon, a reporter for Fox 13 Memphis wrote on Instagram Tuesday.

"Working under a time crunch to write, edit, and get video in AND THEN have to set up your own live shot/check surroundings is not normal," she added. "I'm tired of seeing these MMJ horror stories and then having people say 'that's what you signed up for.' Something has to be done and it shouldn't be at the expense of reporters."

Peyton LoCicero Trist, a newscaster for WGNO in New Orleans, responded to Solomon's post by writing "100% agree."

"And in college, most professors are so old... they don't teach you how to MMJ or even know what those letters mean. I think instead of it being called, MMJ, it should be OWT—- Over Worked Talent," LoCicero Trist added.

Joel Schipper, a reporter for WDRB based out of Louisville, Kentucky, added, "This is another reason people are leaving in droves. The 'MMJ switch' is killing the business."

Separately on Twitter, Schipper also shared a video of Yorgey getting hit by the car, writing "Watch where you're going, folks! It's dangerous enough for us."

Former news personality César Flores also responded to Solomon's post by adding that reporters are often "not appreciated" by the leaders of their media companies.

"That's why I left because not having leaders. ONLY bosses with a total lack of empathy," Flores wrote on Instagram.

Following the Wednesday night report, Yorgey told NBC News that she was feeling fine, except for a little soreness in her back and right leg. The 25-year-old added that the incident happened by accident and that the woman who struck her "didn't mean to."

Newsweek has contacted Yorgey and WSAZ for additional comment.