#West Virginia reporter Tori Yorgey hit by car — continues reporting

A TV reporter in West Virginia shocked viewers during a live shot when she was struck by a vehicle – but bounced back up to finish her report.

“Oh my god! I just got hit by a car, but I’m OK. I just got hit by a car, but I’m OK, Tim,” WSAZ-TV reporter Tori Yorgey told anchor Tim Irr right after the SUV slammed into her at the scene of a water main break.

“Well, that’s a first for you on TV, Tori,” Irr told the intrepid reporter, who quickly picked up her camera after she tumbled into it during the scary incident Wednesday.

It may have been a first for her on TV but not her first vehicular misfortune.

“That’s live TV for you. It’s all good,” said the upbeat Yorgey, who was apparently reporting solo at the scene. “I actually got hit by a car in college, too, just like that. I am so glad I’m OK.”

The driver who had just struck her could be heard apologizing, but Yorgey assured her that she was all right.

“Ma’am, you are so sweet, and you are OK,” she told her.

Meanwhile, Irr asked Yorgey where she had been hit.

“I don’t even know, Tim,” she answered. “My whole life flashed before my eyes but this is live TV and everything is OK.”

Yorgey added: “I thought I was in a safe spot but clearly we might need to move the camera over a little bit.”

She then brushed off the incident and got back to work.

“But again, Tim, we’ll get back to the report, right? We’re on Roxalana Hills Driver in Dunbar. This is where that water main break is,” she continued.

The video has gone viral, with users praising Yorgey for her toughness and dedication to duty – while some took shots at Irr for his apparent lack of concern.

The anchor later explained his relatively nonchalant reaction.

“On the contrary. I couldn’t see what happened. Only audio. Then, I wasn’t truly convinced she was ok,” Irr said in a tweet.

“Even though she jumped right up and said she was ok, I was still concerned,” he wrote.

“Trying to remain calm at the moment was not easy for all involved. But we tried to the best of our ability. In hindsight, I’m grateful they stayed with her to make sure she was indeed ok,” Irr added.

He also said Yorgey was taken to a hospital to be checked out, just in case.

“Frightening moment for Tori,” he wrote. “She’s young, but is a pro for sure.”

Yorgey also mentioned that her last day with the station is Friday.

“I can’t even begin to describe the privilege and pleasure I’ve had bringing news into your homes the last three years,” she wrote on Facebook before the incident.

“People in this Tri-State are truly amazing, some of the sweetest I’ve ever met. From offering me coffee on cold days, to helping carry my equipment–I always say the kindest people live here, and it’s true,” she added.

Starting Feb. 1, Yorgey will be working for ABC affiliate WTAE in Pittsburgh.