Fox News Benjamin Hall shot in Ukraine reveals the extent of his injuries feels lucky to be here
Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall shared his first update on Thursday since being injured in a blast outside Kyiv while reporting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying despite the fact that he’s lost both feet, a leg, an eye and most of his hearing, he feels ‘pretty damn lucky to be here.’
The British journalist was reporting outside of Kyiv when he was hit by a bomb blast, killing 55-year-old veteran cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and their producer Oleksandra ‘Sasha’ Kurshynova.
Hall tweeted a photo of himself sitting as he recovers in a hospital bed together with a post explaining the nature of his wounds.
‘To sum it up, I’ve lost half a leg on one side and a foot on the other,’ Hall began.
‘One hand is being put together, one eye is no longer working, and my hearing is pretty blown… but all in all I feel pretty damn lucky to be here – and it is the people who got me here who are amazing!’ Hall wrote.
Benjamin Hall was badly injured revealing on Twitter that he ‘lost sight in one eye, half a leg on one side and a foot on the other’
Mr Hall has three daughters with his wife Alicia Meller, an Australian fashion businesswoman
Pierre Zakrzewski (right) and Oleksandra Kuvshynova (centre) were killed in Ukraine while they were travelling in a vehicle involved in the same attack which left a British journalist injured
Hall, 39, was rushed to hospital in Ukraine with serious injuries but was able to leave the country days after being involved in the attack.
Hall has been married to his wife, Alicia Meller, an Australian fashion businesswoman, for almost seven years and share three young daughters. The family live in Washington D.C.
He has worked for the New York-based network since 2015. Hall, a dual citizen of Britain and the US and covers the US State Department for the network.
The journalist has also worked for the BBC, ITN and Channel 4 and written for The Times, The Sunday Times, The New York Times and Agence France Presse.
Alongside news of his recovery, Hall also shared information about his colleagues who lost their lives during the attack in Horenka, Irish cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra ‘Sasha’ Kuvshynova, who was 24.
Alongside news of his recovery, Hall also shared information about his colleagues who lost their lives during the attack in Horenka, Irish cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, pictured
Benjamin Hall, 39, had been reporting for Fox News from Ukraine on the Russian invasion
Irish cameraman Pierre Zakrewski died along with producer Oleksandra Kurshynova in the attack. They were both working with Hall
‘Its been over three weeks since the attack in Ukraine and I wanted to start sharing it all. But first I need to pay tribute to my colleagues Pierre and Sasha who didn’t make it that day. Pierre and I traveled the world together, working was his joy and his joy was infectious. RIP,’ Hall tweeted together with a photograph of Zakrzewski.
Zakrzewski, who was based in London, had dual French and Irish citizenship and been working in Ukraine since February.
‘He was a warm-hearted traveler who provoked beautiful encounters, he was very humble and human and had not lost any of his sensitivity over the years,’ a member of his family said.
Zakrzewski also had a long relationship with Afghanistan, where he had covered decades of conflict, from the war against the Soviets to the return of the Taliban.
Fox News said Zakrzewski had played a ‘key role’ in getting the network’s Afghan freelance associates and their families out of the country after the US withdrawal.
Fox cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski (left) was killed and reporter Benjamin Hall (right) seriously injured when the vehicle they were traveling in was struck by incoming fire
It also said he was given an ‘Unsung Hero’ award at the company’s annual employee Spotlight Awards in December.
‘Pierre was a war zone photographer who covered nearly every international story for Fox News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria during his long tenure with us,’ Fox’ Suzanne Scott said in a statement.
‘His passion and talent as a journalist were unmatched.’
He is survived by his wife Michelle, a documentary filmmaker and producer, his family member said.
Kuvshynova, 24, had earned a reputation for being ‘hard-working, funny, kind and brave’ while working with the Fox crew to cover the conflict.
‘Her dream was to connect people around the world and tell their stories and she fulfilled that through her journalism,’ Scott said.
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said he was ‘deeply disturbed and saddened’ by the deaths of Zakrzewski and his colleague.
‘My thoughts are with their families, friends and fellow journalists,’ Martin said on Twitter at the time. ‘We condemn this indiscriminate and immoral war by Russia on Ukraine.’
Pierre Zakrzewski (left) and Benjamin Hall (right) worked together in Kabul for Fox last year
Zakrzewski was a war zone photographer who covered nearly every international story for Fox News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria