ON-AIR RESCUE

Hero TV Reporter Abandons Live Broadcast to Help Cyclist Involved in Collision

The reporter sprinted off camera after a cyclist crashed into a runner nearby.

Live reporter Christian Piekos looked panicked and gasped “Oh, shoot!” before suddenly vanishing out of shot, and the camera cut back to the studio. Minutes passed before the studio hosts on ABC7 Chicago‘s early morning live broadcast handed back to Piekos for an explanation. “Big wipeout for the cyclist who went over his handlebars,” the reporter breathlessly told his viewers, explaining that a rider had collided with a runner on the busy lakefront path. “His helmet actually broke, so we ran right over to make sure he was doing OK.” Piekos and photojournalist James McIntyre had offered up a first-aid kit, but the shaken rider reportedly waved them off and pedaled away. “A scary situation. You’ve got to be careful out here on the trail with so many people running and cycling at the same time,” Piekos warned, staying cool as he continued his report on Chicago’s punishing heat.