ACK! Richard Hammond critically injured in crash

[Devil]

EEEEP!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/north_yorkshire/5365676.stm

[Edbear]

Oh No! Hope he's going to be okay!:(

[Beemer]

Not good at all, hope he isn't as critically injured as they think. Jet powered car - think I'll steer clear of them.

[McJim]

Hope he's alright - he's an amusing wee fella.

Pretty sure he's a biker in his spare time too.

[Swoop]

Pretty sure he's a biker in his spare time too.
Yes, both he and James May are bikers.

Hope the hampster is alright.

[Blackbird]

There's also a post on Sky: http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1234569,00.html with a picture of the car. Didn't realise that it was actually a "rail" dragster. From memory, Elvington has a 10000 ft runway and has been used for record setting for decades. It used to be a nuclear bomber dispersal airstrip.

[placidfemme]

thats bad news... I liked him... hopefully he pulls through ok :(

[Buster]

Feck thats not good at all. I was thinking about how risky those guys jobs were the other night. Hope he pulls through for his kids sake.

[motoGP]

:( Poor guy, hope he pulls through.
Rides a CBR1000 from memory, but probably has a couple others tucked away.

[judecatmad]

Quite fond of the wee chap - I hope he's OK.

[Motu]

thats bad news... I liked him... hopefully he pulls through ok :(

I hope we can still talk about him in the present tense......He should have a good story to tell about this one.

[Str8 Jacket]

Man, I hope he pulls through! They say things come in three's, hopefully this "theory" will be proved wrong though!

[placidfemme]

I hope we can still talk about him in the present tense......He should have a good story to tell about this one.

hmmm my mistake...

They reckon he crashed at 450kph... thats a hella fast speed :(

[Blackbird]

Latest news gleaned from the UK Blackbird site: "latest news, he is now on a ward and is looking like he will pull through, his wife has arrived and is now at his bedside!! More news to come as soon as the press fook off!! "

[Fatjim]

Firefighter Dave Ogden, who witnessed the crash, told Sky News that the 36-year-old presenter was able to speak as he was taken out of the wreckage of the car.

[steved]

Yes, both he and James May are bikers.

Hope the hampster is alright.
He's my favourite of the three on Top Gear. Good luck to him with his recovery.

I always wondered why he wore Dainese jackets on the show, now I know.

[Crisis management]

Thats good news, the hampster has always been a favourite of mine and I hate to think of Top Gear without him.

[Fub@r]

Sounds like an awful crash from what I've read today, hopefully he'll pull through. Top Gear won't be the same without him in it.

That car (rocket with wheels) also has seriously bad fuel economy. Uses 10 gallons per mile at top speed. Whats Hammonds background driving wise? Just seems pretty insane to strap someone in to this thing without proper experience in drag or rocket vehicles

[Pwalo]

Apparently the latest is that he's drifting in and out of consciousness, and complaining of lower back pain.

Complaining is always a good sign.

Think he had a Gixxer thou at one stage, although I'd have thought he'd have struggled to get feet down on any of the sprot thou's.

[madmal64]

Hope the Hampster makes it! He makes Top Gear.

[onearmedbandit]

Heard about this this morning, hope he pulls through enough that they can take the piss out of him on the show!

[Sniper]

Poor bugger. He was is a damn good sort. I wish him and his family all the best.

[S&S]

Hope the little dude's ok.

[TerminalAddict]

repost mate ...
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=35940&highlight=richard+hammond

[nudemetalz]

Latest I heard is that he's in a stable condition now, not critical like earlier. Now that is a good sign.

[skidz]

Hope the Hampster makes a full recovery. Why don't they have a Top Gear on all makes of motorcycles?

[Beemer]

Here's the latest off Stuff:

Top Gear presenter hit 480km/h before crash
21 September 2006

Critically injured Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond had already exceeded 480km/h in the car that later flipped, nearly killing the star.


The jet-powered car overturned during filming for the popular motoring show, leaving 36-year-old Hammond fighting for his life in a Leeds hospital.

Former firefighter Dave Ogden, who runs private company Event Fire Services, told the BBC that Hammond had already hit 300mph before the run that went horribly wrong.

He was attempting to break the British land speed record when the accident happened.

He said Hammond was drifting in and out of conciousness while rescue services extracted him from the wreckage.

He is in a critical condition in a specialist neurological unit at Leeds General Infirmary.

Hammond was shooting at Elvington airbase in North Yorkshire when the horror accident occured.

A statement from Inspector Mike Thompson of North Yorkshire Police said they were called to the former airbase after the fire service reported a male trapped in "an overturned jet car which had been driven on the airfield".

"The male occupant has received serious injuries and has been airlifted to hospital at Leeds," said Thompson.

Hammond, 36, was trying to break a land speed record in the car when it overturned several times.

It is understood that the 5000hp Vampire jet car was travelling at 450km/h when the crash occured.

Witnesses say that Hammond was taking his last run of the day when the car veered off the track in a cloud of smoke, turned over several times before finally landing upside down.

AdvertisementAdvertisementA North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said that the car – powered by a Red Arrows engine – veered off the track onto grass before flipping over.

The vehicle's roll cage had saved Hammond's life.

The parachute had deployed, and ambulance crews, with the help of Top Gear's film crew, managed to right the vehicle.

Hammond – affectionately known as Hamster by fans of the show – was still breathing when ambulance crew moved the unconcious star onto a stretcher board and airlifted him to hospital.

He is married to Amanda, 41, and has two daughters. His television carrer started with a cable programme called Men and Motors, and he became a celebrity when he joined Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May in 2002.

[willy_01]

Crikey the guy that made the roll cage is the man!! To crash at 480kph and still even have all of his limbs attached is pretty impressive! Best of luck too the little fella. :cool:

[Macktheknife]

All the best to the hamster, I hope he makes it through, tough little bugger.

[Darryboy]

Stable condition does sound better. Fingers crossed.

[skelstar]

His thread has been 'merged' with this one.

[Scorpygirl]

Not nice to hear but hopefully he will be back on the screen soon and up to his old tricks!! Get well soon Hamster!!! :hug:

[Fat Tony]

So The Hamster is in a bed just round the corner from me... I shall attempt rolling burnouts outside the ward window in my lunch hour... that's bound to help right? ;)

Here's hoping for a Speedy recovery.

[Brett]

Damn i hope he is ok, i have always found him really amusing. I love Topgear and those boys make it what it is.

[apteryx_haasti]

Updated story on BBC website here -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/north_yorkshire/5365676.stm

Get well soon, Hamster! I love that show and the interplay between the 3 presenters really makes it, too.

[Lou Girardin]

Poor little hamster. My first thought was that he binned his bike.
My second thought was, why wasn't it Jeeza.

[Colapop]

The Hampster has been bike/car mad for a long time. He got his dream job working on Top Gear. Here's a quick BBC bio on him. Get well, young fella.

"Born in Birmingham in 1970, Hammond studied photography and television production before beginning his broadcasting career at BBC Radio York.

From there, he went on to work at BBC Radio Cumbria, Leeds and Lancashire, before leaving in 1995 to follow his dream of working in motoring.

His ultimate ambition was always to present motoring programmes on TV.

After leaving the BBC, he initially took a job in PR and was involved in corporate events for clients including the Ferrari Owners' Club and Renault Sport.

Genuine enthusiast

But it was not until 1998 that he was given his first motoring job on TV, presenting Motorweek on Satellite channel Men & Motors.

He then proceeded to work on a number of different motoring and lifestyle programmes for cable and satellite channels before realising his dream of presenting Top Gear in 2002.

The show currently attracts between four and six million viewers. It is regarded as a cult success, and Hammond has often been the butt of jokes from co-presenter Jeremy Clarkson.

Hammond has also presented science and nature programmes such as Should I Worry About? on BBC One, billed as his "a journey to find the truth behind the headlines".

Other TV projects for the BBC have included presenting inventing programme Battle of the Geeks, sci-fi game show Time Commanders and appearing as a team captain on comedy motoring quiz Petrol Heads.

He also presented ITV's eponymous Richard Hammond's Five O'Clock Show.

Until recently, he also hosted Sky One's Brainiac.

Unsurprisingly, Hammond is a genuine car enthusiast, owning among other vehicles, a 1957 Land Rover, a 1969 Dodge Charger and a Porsche 928.

He lives just outside Cheltenham with his wife and two daughters."

[Beemer]

Very pleased to hear he was in a stable condition last night - fingers crossed his injuries are not long-lasting.

[onearmedbandit]

Reports of brain injuries now, but the doctors are 'optomistic' of a good recovery.

[Paul in NZ]

Reports of brain injuries now, but the doctors are 'optomistic' of a good recovery.

Yes - I noted they said a 'good' recovery and not a 'full' recovery... gleep...

[Postie]

a couple of pictures from the BBC news web site

[Dilligaf]

Looks like there's pressure to 'can' Top Gear now. :(
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=406197&in_page_id=1770&ito=1490

And only a 50/50 chance of making it...:weep:
Get well soon Hamster.

[onearmedbandit]

Typical knee jerk reaction.

[Paul in NZ]

Plus jealousy of a pretty cool job..

What a world we live in eh?

[SpankMe]

By JEREMY CLARKSON
SEPTEMBER 23, 2006

Two years ago, Richard Hammond, James May and I agreed on a plan of action should one of us be killed while making our show, Top Gear.

We decided that after the announcement of the death was made in the following week’s show, the next word should be “anyway”.

So if the Hamster had ever careered through the Pearly Gates in a flaming 200mph fireball, I would put on a sombre face, say that Richard Hammond had died and then, after a small pause, say: “Anyway, the new Jag . . .”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006440317,00.html

[erik]

By JEREMY CLARKSON
SEPTEMBER 23, 2006

[I]Two years ago, Richard Hammond...
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006440317,00.html

What a great article :)
I hope he makes a full recovery.

[Clivoris]

So The Hamster is in a bed just round the corner from me... I shall attempt rolling burnouts outside the ward window in my lunch hour... that's bound to help right? ;)

Here's hoping for a Speedy recovery.

Excellent plan Dr FT.:2thumbsup Complementary medicine is the way of the future. Mayhaps you could spell out "Get well from KB" in rubber. He's bound to appreciate that.

[NighthawkNZ]

Hope he pulls through ok... :(