Several stars of The Challenge have shown support for Nelson Thomas following his serious car accident earlier this month. Nelson has become a fixture of The Challenge in recent years, starting with his first appearance on The Challenge: Rivals III and continuing for a total of 10 seasons. Throughout his career on the show, Nelson's sense of humor and passion for the game have built him a solid reputation among the other contestants. This has never been more clear than in the days following Nelson's announcement that he was seriously injured in a car accident on March 5.Prior to Nelson's official announcement, news spread that NFL player K.J. Osborn saved an unknown person from a burning car in Austin, Texas. Although no one at the time knew that the driver was The Challenge's Nelson, the story was already dramatic when K.J. explained what happened. He recalled riding in an Uber and seeing a fiery wreck on the side of the road, which his driver pulled over to investigate. K.J. and the driver got out of the car and sprang into action, pulling the then-unidentified driver out of the wreckage and safely away from the fire.

The Challenge's Nelson Thomas Expressed Gratitude After His Accident

On March 14, Nelson posted to his Instagram revealing that he was the driver rescued by K.J., and almost immediately received an outpouring of support from his fellow competitors from The Challenge. In the caption, Nelson expressed, "Words cannot explain how grateful I am to be alive...This will be a long road to recovery but to my fans, friends, and family please keep me in your prayers." The post contained five pictures, showing Nelson's extensive injuries and a video of his rescue from the car, as flames consumed the hood after the car appeared to hit a lamppost.

The Challenge Community Has Rallied Around Nelson

Nelson's original post gained thousands of comments, many of which were left by contestants from The Challenge, some of whom have never even competed alongside him on the show. TJ Lavin, the long-time host of the series who has always enjoyed Nelson's humor and passion, commented, "Hang in there call me anytime brother." Nelson also received comments from some of his former partners on the show, including his Final Reckoning partner Shane Landrum, who commented, "I am so thankful you are here," and his Ride or Dies partner Nurys Mateo who wrote, "You're one of the strongest people I know so I know you got this."

Nelson's fellow competitors have also shown their support by promoting and donating to his GoFundMe, which has a goal of $200,000 to pay for his medical expenses after a 10-day hospital stay. The link was shared on Twitter by Wes Bergmann, alongside a video message where he asked The Challenge community to consider donating. Other stars have shared and reposted the GoFundMe link, and many have donated large amounts to contribute to Nelson's recovery and expenses. Some of the donors include Nurys, Olivia Kaiser, Amanda Garcia, Veronica Portillo, and recent winner of The Challenge, Tori Deal.

Details regarding Nelson's accident are still being revealed as he gradually begins to post more during his recovery. But as of now, it's obvious that the event has shaken The Challenge community. Nelson seems to be in good spirits when posting updates on his Instagram, and his fellow competitors will no doubt continue to support him throughout his recovery period.

Source: Nelson Thomas/Instagram, Wes Bergmann/Twitter

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