By the grace of God, Adam Knowles is still alive.
First the video, then the slo-mo:
[Warning: Graphic]
Adam is part of a Youtube crew called High-Speed Ballistics that demonstrates what firearms look like in slow motion. He is an Army vet and a trained professional.
On what was the planned and literal last shot of the day on November 13, that RPG blew up in his face, sending his helmet and ballistics glasses sky-high.
Fire enveloped his entire body and charred the skin on his arms.
Adam doesn't remember the first three minutes after the explosion, but he's on tape - still conscious! - asking if someone is hurt and why his friends are calling 911. Once he knew he was the injured person, he used his medical training to guide the crew in treating him until paramedics arrived.
Watch Adam see the slo-mo footage of his body being blasted for the first time:
[Warning: Language and Fire. Also, if you watch past the timestamped part, you may see some blood]
The doctors said it is a miracle that he's still alive. He's spent weeks wearing trauma pads for the burns on his arms. It's a miracle his face was spared (especially considering the ballistics dummy behind the RPG that they placed to show how blowback could melt a face).
(You can donate to help with his medical bills here)
Co-host Bryce explained that such malfunctions can happen when RPGs aren't regularly cleaned or if the metal tubing wears out over time, but he said 1) they were cleaning the weapon after every three shots and 2) it had been re-activated and re-certified by a professional company before they took it to the range.
Even so, it had this part of the tube blow out:
Most of you won't be firing RPGs on the daily (until the Boogaloo kicks off, that is!).
But since we live in America where rockets and machine guns are still (somewhat) legal, for those who want to enjoy life to the max, make sure you train, train, train!
(And remember medic courses are often more essential than those fancy blaster classes!)
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
