The Advertiser documentary While I Was Sleeping, about Ben Hyde’s miraculous survival, wins INMA Award

In 2021, Ben Hyde nearly lost his life in a horror crash. Now, his incredible story of survival – and powerful road safety message – has won a prestigious global accolade.

A documentary telling former Advertiser deputy editor Ben Hyde’s miraculous story of survival after a crash that nearly claimed his life has won a top gong at one of the world’s most prestigious media awards.

While I Was Sleeping took home Best New Video Product or Feature at the International News Media Association (INMA) Awards in New York on Thursday, beating out finalists from across the globe.

The powerful documentary, produced by a small team of just Ben, Neely Karimi and Ruicheng Liang, tells how, in 2021, he was hit by a drugged driver travelling 170km/h and left for dead in a burning wreck.

READ MORE:

• WATCH THE FULL DOCUMENTARY
• READ BEN’S STORY IN HIS OWN WORDS
• ARRIVE ALIVE CAMPAIGN LAUNCH

In While I Was Sleeping, Ben speaks to those who helped save his life as he pieces together how – against all odds – police, good Samaritans, medical experts and a powerful support network helped put him back together again.

Alongside the documentary, The Advertiser created a strong road safety campaign in 2024 called Arrive Alive – with 41 stories over the course of three months which were viewed by more than 1.5 million people across social media platforms.

South Australians embraced the Arrive Alive campaign and heeded its message, with the state’s road toll and number of serious injuries falling year-on-year from 2023 to 2024.

Ben said it was incredibly humbling to have the documentary recognised and awarded on the global stage, heralding the pioneering long-form video project produced entirely from Adelaide’s newsroom.

“While this is ‘my’ story, the reality is it is the work of a small army of people, including many skilled hands inside the newsroom, the talent from the documentary who trusted me to tell the story, and my incredible family, who have given nothing but love and support,” Ben said.

Ben accepting the honour in the Edison ballroom While I was Sleeping, which won the INMA award for Best New Video feature in New York.

The documentary details Ben’s miraculous survival and honours those who saved his life, while sharing a powerful road safety message.

The Advertiser’s editor Gemma Jones said the documentary was a “celebration of the very best of South Australia” and its often-unsung heroes.

“Ben is a terrific journalist and this is a deserving reward for him given all he and his family have endured in the past four years and for The Advertiser’s incredible video duo of Ruicheng Liang and Neely Karimi,” she said.

“It is also a celebration of the very best of South Australia. In this documentary Ben told the stories of the strangers and police who risked their own lives to pull him lifeless from his flaming car and then the paramedics and the doctors at the RAH who saved him.

“It doesn’t bear thinking about what would have happened had those often unsung heroes not responded as they did on West Terrace that night. Ben has beautifully captured how the very best of humanity shines in the most difficult of moments.”

News Corp Australia Executive Chair Michael Miller said Ben’s story acted as a catalyst to transform personal loss into a community-wide conversation, and commended him on his fortitude and bravery.

“The Advertiser has played a major role in advocating for road safety in South Australia, and there was no more powerful message than Ben’s personal story in While I Was Sleeping,” he said.

“It acted as a catalyst to transform personal loss into a community-wide conversation.

“I commend Ben on his fortitude and bravery, his innate storytelling ability, and for sharing the important, and often difficult, work that our emergency workers commit to.”

Originally published as The Advertiser documentary While I Was Sleeping, about Ben Hyde’s miraculous survival, wins INMA Award