YouTuber has Rocket Launcher explode in their hands as devastating test goes awry

US Army veteran Adam Knowles had an RPG-7 explode on him during a recent shoot for the Ballistic High-Speed YouTube channel. Now recovering from the incident, he just watched the footage back for the first time.

Content warning: Given the nature of the video in focus, this article discusses the devastating injuries sustained during the shoot. This material may be distressing to some readers.

Knowles was the victim of a devastating explosives incident in November. While filming for the Ballistic High-Speed channel, assessing “the dangers” of back-blast from a range of launchers, an RPG-7 fire didn’t go as planned.

Upon triggering the weapon, part of the rocket exploded immediately, knocking Knowles to the ground unconscious in a split moment. The impact breaking his jaw, fracturing his skull, while leaving his body wounded with shrapnel and third-degree burns.

Now recovering from the near-catastrophic mishap, the US Army veteran just watched the footage back for the first time, going through the situation as he recalled it.

While doing “a lot better” now as the year winds down, he still has a “solid few months” of recovery left to get back to relative normalcy after the explosion. Though in light of “multiple skin grafts, stiches, and other surgeries,” his medical bills have since piled up to just shy of $300,000.

Walking back through the day of the misfire, the YouTubers explained how the shoot consisted of multiple launcher tests, and the RPG-7 happened to be the “final shot of the day.”

Despite running all the usual safety checks and being as cautious as possible, something went wrong during this last fire and in the blink of an eye, Knowles was “on the ground.”

“The Rocket Launcher basically exploded.”

With his helmet was sent flying from the force, Knowles was knocked out immediately, well before he even hit the ground. Calling 911 right away, it was some time before a helicopter was able to airlift him to the nearest medical facility. During this period, he had “no recollection of the incident after the countdown.”

Back on his feet in the latest video and aiming to make a full recovery over the coming months, Knowles is committed to “moving forward” with the Ballistic High-Speed YouTube channel. The incident seemingly won’t deter him from future content creation.