Two YouTube stars killed in Pennsylvania crash

Christopher Schaffer, 25, and Patrick Phyrillas, 22, were both killed in the tragic accident

James Phyrillas (Instagram)

Two YouTube stars were killed and a third was injured in a Pennsylvania car crash, according to authorities.

Christopher Schaffer, 25, and Patrick Phyrillas, 22, both of Reading, Pennsylvania, were killed in the crash between a car and a semi-truck in Upper Macungie Township.

Both men were regular guests on the YouTube channel of James Phyrillas, the brother of Patrick, who was also in the car and taken to hospital in critical condition.

James Phyrillas and Schaffer combined their surnames to create Schaffrillas Productions in 2015, which turned into a YouTube channel that reviewed animation. The page itself has 1.66m subscribers.

Mr Phyrillas took to Twitter on Tuesday night to say that he had been released from the hospital after suffering injuries that included fractured ribs and a punctured lung.

“Home now after 3 days in the hospital, with my ribs fractured, my lung punctured, my body bruised, my heart broken. Patrick and Chris were my best friends. Been trying to wrap my head around why I was spared. Where I go from here,” he tweeted. “I will take my time brainstorming ways to preserve their legacy, be it charitable endeavors or otherwise. I owe them this much, given how I unjustly was the only one to walk away unscathed.”

Home now after 3 days in the hospital, with my ribs fractured, my lung punctured, my body bruised, my heart broken. Patrick and Chris were my best friends. Been trying to wrap my head around why I was spared. Where I go from here.

"What can we do? We must live our lives." 🧵

— Schaffrillas (@Schaffrillas) February 1, 2023

He added: “Thanks again for all your kind words. Please don’t judge me to trying to continue my jovially toned videos. I don’t know how else to be. I have been torn apart on the inside and I need to cope in my own way. Thank you.”

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.