The Challenge star Nelson Thomas says he’s grateful to be alive following the terrifying car accident he was in recently, resulting in a burning car and his hospitalization.
Nelson, 34, shared a carousel post of photos featuring him in a hospital bed with multiple injuries and video footage which shows the car on fire.
Based on his comments, several individuals saved him from the burning wreck, including NFL wide receiver KJ Osborn from the Minnesota Vikings.
The incident was initially reported a week ago, with CNN indicating Osborn and three others saved a man trapped inside a burning car. The man’s identity wasn’t specified at the time of the initial reports.
Osborn originally shared details of the incident while appearing on Adam Scheffler’s podcast, saying he was in an Uber after a practice in Austin, Texas. Osborn said his driver first spotted the crash and was “going crazy” over the sight.
That led to Osborn, the driver, and two other men deciding to help free the man from inside the burning car, Nelson, and then waiting with him until emergency services arrived to take him to get medical treatment.
Nelson says he’s grateful to be alive and has a ‘long road to recovery’
On Tuesday, Nelson shared an Instagram post featuring photos of himself resting in a hospital bed along with scary footage of him getting saved from inside the burning car. A man yells to “grab him” and yells to ask Nelson, “Can you move your legs?”
In several photos, Nelson shows his injuries, which appear to be cuts and burns on his arm and ankle. Based on his caption, he’s got a lengthy recovery on the way.
In his message, he thanked Osborrn and the others involved in his rescue for risking their lives to save him.
“Words can’t explain how grateful I am to be alive. God is truly great and he has you in his hands no matter who you are,” Nelson said in the caption.
“I’m in high spirits and getting stronger. This will be a long road to recovery but to my fans, friends and family please keep me in your prayers,” he shared.
NFL star also shared images from Nelson’s crash
Osborn shared a carousel post a week ago before Nelson revealed he was the man saved from the burning wreck. In his series of images, Osborn was posing alongside others who were on the scene to assist in Nelson’s rescue.
Additional images showed the burning car that had crashed, the damage it sustained, and emergency vehicles that arrived to respond to Nelson’s accident.
“Most of the time the saying goes ‘wrong place wrong time.’ But this time I believe God had me, us, at the right place at the exact right time,” Osborn shared in his IG post’s caption.
“Last night myself and these 3 absolute hero’s helped save a mans life by rescuing him from a vehicle up in flames after a bad crash. A situation I’d never imagine being apart of in a million years,” he said.
Nelson last appeared in MTV’s The Challenge for Season 39, aka Ride or Dies, where he was teamed with his friend Nurys Mateo. He currently appears in The Challenge: World Championship, a global competition spinoff of the main show with episodes streaming on Paramount Plus.
The Challenge: World Championship episodes arrive Wednesdays on Paramount Plus.