Nelson Thomas claims MTV and Bunim-Murray Productions “turned their back” on him following his March 2023 near-fatal car accident, which later resulted in the 35-year-old being arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI).
via: The Jasmine Brand
Earlier this month, Nelson Thomas’ right foot was amputated. The surgery took place almost one year after he was involved in a life-changing incident. For those who may be unaware, while purportedly driving under the influence in March 2023, he lost control of his Audi A4 and slammed into a bridge in Austin, Texas. The impact caused the vehicle to burst into flames.
Thankfully, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver KJ Osborn – and three other bystanders – just happened to be riding past the incident and were able to pull Nelson Thomas, 35, from the burning vehicle.
Police officers who reported to the scene said in court documents that they noticed Nelson had “bloodshot, glassy eyes.” They also said he later admitted to consuming “2-3 mixed alcoholic drinks” before the crash.
He was later placed under police custody at the hospital after reportedly failing a field sobriety test. However, he was released once it was determined that “the treatment for his injuries would take longer than expected,” according to court documents.
Several months later the influencer was arrested and officially charged with a DWI. A subsequently obtained search warrant for the toxicology results revealed at the time of the crash, he had a blood alcohol content of 0.178 percent, according to reports. He was soon released after posting bond.
During a recent live stream with fellow MTV reality TV star Nany Gonzalez, Nelson was asked if BMP helped “at all” with the insurance money. Bunim Murray Productions is the entertainment production company behind many MTV reality series. After a slight hesitation, Nelson candidly replied,
“They didn’t, they did not. And…what I expected from MTV was [for them] to reach out to me and say, ‘Hey, how can we help you?’ But, when the whole DWI came out, a lot of people turned their backs on me, and it sucked because, at that point in my life, I was still fighting for my life in the hospital, Nany.”
He continued,
“And my lawyer was legally saying, ‘Look Nelson, I know you want to come out and say this, but you can’t legally say this because you’re still fighting in court.’ So it really hurt me, man. …When [the DWI] came out, everybody just turned they backs on me, like I’m supposed to be this perfect guy. Like, I can’t make mistakes, and that hurt me the most…that really hurt me.”
No word just yet on Nelson Thomas’ future with the network.
If you were driving while drunker than a skunk, why does MTV have to step in and help you out? I can understand if a situation happened while you were filming The Challenge. Then I think MTV and their insurance company would have to step in.
However this was something you did on your own personal time. So I don't think MTV is required to step in and help you when you did something that could have taken your life and others.
As for his future with MTV I would love to see Nelson get a prosthesis and learn how to be active with his prosthetic leg, so that when he's strong enough he can possibly come back on The Challenge and compete on future seasons.