A Twitch streamer was hospitalized when he was struck by a car while walking along an Indiana highway as part of his cross-country trek to raise money for charity.
Isaiah Thomas, known online as “hmbl zayy,” was traveling along Interstate 40 in Indiana when a dark blue Mazda rammed into his back as he live-streamed the entire incident just before 3 p.m. Tuesday.
The unsuspecting streamer was walking in the right lane of the road as the Mazda – acting as a protective barrier – trailed him when a silver sedan rear-ended the other car, which abruptly propelled the Mazda forward and into Thomas.
A tire screech can be heard in the video moments before the car struck Thomas, sending him flying off camera, as his cart was flung into the middle of the road.
“Bitch! Did you not f–king see me?” a woman off camera can be heard yelling. It was not clear who she was referencing.
Thomas, who appeared to lose a shoe from the impact, returned to view of the camera seconds after being struck to pick up his camera and captured the full range of damage left from the wreck.
The streamer’s cart was knocked down and his belongings were tossed across the roadway.
Police and firefighters appeared on the scene within 20 minutes of the crash to check on Thomas.
“Good thing I had a back brace on, that saved me,” Thomas told two officers.
Thomas was transported to a hospital, where he underwent tests for injuries to his neck, feet and legs.
“Appreciate everybody checking on me. God is the greatest, I’m good, just running some tests right now,” Thomas said in an Instagram video as he lay in a hospital bed, sporting a neck brace.
“From the video that happened, they trying to figure out how I’m still alive. Cops said ‘I’m just so happy I’m looking at you like this and I’m not looking at you dead,’” Thomas revealed.
The streamer didn’t reveal the extent of his injuries but promised he would hit the road again to get to California.
“We going to finish this race, we ain’t going to let the devil win,” Thomas said. “We going to make sure we finish this marathon. God is the greatest, I’m alive and that’s all that matters.”
Thomas was on Day 34 of his 100-day journey walking from Philadelphia to California when he was hospitalized.
He launched the 3,000-mile trek to raise $200,000 that he would use to build his “HMBL University.”
The alternative higher-education is a trade-based program being designed by the streamer for high school graduates who can’t afford or don’t want to attend college but “deserve a real shot at success.”
“HMBL University” and Thomas’ “HMBL Summer Camp” would provide classes for CNA, plumbing, electrical work, HVAC, carpentry, and medical tech.
He has raised just under $45,000 of the $200,000 goal on a GoFundMe campaign started on March 24.
The funds would also help bring students back to the “motherland” of Africa, exposing them to new cultures and possibilities beyond their environment.
“This is bigger than me. It’s about creating access, building futures, and showing young people that their circumstances don’t define their potential,” Thomas wrote.