What's the worst thing you have ever witnessed first-hand happen on live tv?

[MyCheeryPearlTraybake]

For me it would have to be Christian Eriksson collapsing at the euros in 2021

I saw a video of a man who blew his head off with a shotgun. It was a few years ago and he filmed it on his webcam.
It appeared in the middle of a video I was watching. I’ll never forget the utter mess that was left and his poor dog wandering about in the background.

This, I was really young at the time and seeing this on tv on a Saturday afternoon was shocking. I’m not sure what, if anything, was broadcast live as such, but I believe they cut to the stadium when they realised it was happening, and they certainly didn’t censor the footage.

Pretty poor taste to start this thread now

Bradford was a football game that was filmed live, they just switched the Saturday afternoon football to it

@JDM625 yes this for me too. Dignitas documentary hit me very very hard.
I didn't know what I think as the gentleman didn't seem "too" bad but clearly wanted to bid farewell to this mortal coil and I respect his choice. I just felt so awful and shocked. I didn't think they'd have shown him gasping and wanting a drink and the nurse saying he'd be ok and it would pass. Horribly

another 9/11, terrible absolutely terrible

The twin towers collapsed between 4pm and 4.30pm UK time. I saw it after I came home from school.

I vividly remember the horror of realising there were people still inside this collapsing building and standing there in disbelief trying to wrap my brain around what I was seeing.

9/11 and Ayerton senna.....also Roland ratzenberg on the very same Imola corner the day before.....

I didn't see 9/11 until the evening as I was in an off site location by myself. I didn't know it had happened until I listened to radio 4 in the car as I drove home.

So Christian Erikson collapsing.

Hillsborough, my then husband was at the other semifinal. It was a heartbreaking day

Hillsborough and 9/11

Also that it was a nurse that was hugging and comforting him as he died and not his wife who was sitting there watching! Maybe she didn't know what to do, but it was very hard to watch. 😔

I remember Roland Ratzenberger really clearly too, the way the car span around and his head just didn't move 😞.

Why?

I was only 14 when 9/11 happened and was at school, I didn’t really understand when I heard, as I had no idea what the twin towers were and had little access to TV/internet. I only realised over the days that followed how horrific it was and still cannot comprehend it happened.

However when the Paris attacks happened I was home alone that Friday night. Living in London. DH (fiancé back then) was out enjoying himself. I remember realising as I was pottering that the TV had cut to the news. I watched the news unfold from early evening until late. I went to bed absolutely petrified as hostages were still being held in the Bataclan. It was so much to take in, the estimated death toll kept rising. I was telling DH to come home asap. Given the scale and coordination of Paris attack, I felt petrified what else might happen. The Netflix documentary is harrowing.

Moorgate train disaster - but that was well before the 24/7 news feeds.

Piper Alpha - I remember seeing the news showing the burning platform. Years later I went out to a sister platform that still had all the Occidental safety manuals. The safety briefing was ‘if anything happens, you need to get the fuck off’.

Challenger
9/11
Grenfell and Lakanal fires in London
any footage of wars/conflict/things like that
fatal accidents in racing/sports

Oh wow yes of course! Legitimately spent most of that morning with the eerie feeling that something bad was going to happen during that race too! It was awful, just seeing the car burst into flames after splitting into two! Terrifying! Remarkable he got away with a burnt hand and that was only because he touched the barrier!

9/11 we were on holiday and getting ready to go out. It was horrific to think it was real and people were dying.

I never saw the Lakanal fire on TV, but I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen footage of it on training courses for work. And now, I do a small amount of lecturing and use it too.

First tower collapsed at 09:59 NY (EDT) time. That’s 2:59 British summer time.

second collapsed at 10:28, so that’s 3:28 BST.

my shift started at 4 and the towers were down by then.

9/11 - I was in Amsterdam at the time and in the Sex Museum of all places! Came out and went to a bar. DH and I were sitting down and caught a glimpse of the TV and the tower coming down. I thought, hang on, this isn't a film. Clocked it was Live TNT News. Most shocking TV moment ever.

Gaza genocide

I was on site with drillers when the Dunblane news came through. They were parents with similar aged children and in tears about what was being reported on the radio.

I swear the 2nd tower collapsed around 4pm uk time as I was home from school watching it did you go to work late