[- Paul -]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/n...re/5365676.stm



The airfield where he crashed is not far from me.

Hope he gets better soon.

[ES-Jet]

Ditto that.

I'm surprised that the BBC let him do something that dangerous, mind you. I feel for his wife and kids.

[NFS]

Let's hope he's OK .

The news seems to be that he was conscious after the crash which is a good sign and his condition is supposed to have improved over night and is now 'serious but stable' rather than 'critical'

James May and Jeremy Clarkson have been to visit him and said in a statement that they want their 'hamster' back. I don't think they would have been joking like that unless he was stable.

Just read this .... which suggests he was just test driving the british land speed record holders car - rather than aiming for the record himself.

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertain...52&p=y96x86558

This is the car he was driving:

http://www.thule.co.uk/partners/blsr.asp

[CardinalZeus77]

Just heard on Sky News that he suffered a "significant brain injury".

Link here

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...,00.html?f=rss

Hope he gets better soon.

[MrSilver]

Sad news.

Hope he improves and gets back to his post.

[NFS]

There are some quite annoying articles out already saying 'top gear' has been criticised for being obsessed with speed and that this is what happens etc etc..

The journalists also seem to have no idea what top gear were doing - the official word is that a land speed record was not being attempted and could not be attempted because no invigilating officials were present

Yet there are loads of articles and comments saying he WAS trying to set a record and didn't have the right experience.

I think this criticism is very sad given that the facts are clearly still not being accurately reported.

I just hope he fully recovers.

[mpimping]

That sucks. He was a good sidekick on the show...

[06330i]

man that sucks, it looks as though he was coming close to that land speed record.

[climkt]

Top Gear presenter 'walks'
Email Print Normal font Large font September 23, 2006

Advertisement
AdvertisementBritish motoring show presenter Richard Hammond has got out of bed and walked after suffering brain injuries in a high-speed crash, co-host of Top Gear Jeremy Clarkson told The Sun newspaper on Saturday.

"In the wee small hours of Thursday night, just 30 hours after what is almost certainly the world's fastest-ever car crash, Richard Hammond suddenly sat up in bed opened his eyes and asked what had happened," wrote Clarkson in his Sun column.

"'You've been in a car accident'," I said. "'Was I driving badly?' he asked, before getting out of bed and walking shakily to the lavatory."

A Leeds General Infirmary hospital spokeswoman told Reuters that Hammond continues to "make good progress".

Hammond's wife Mindy also provided an upbeat assessment of her husband's medical condition.

"He's spoken and smiled. It's early days and what has happened hasn't really sunk in for him," she told The Daily Mirror newspaper.

Hammond, 36, was seriously injured on Wednesday when he crashed a jet-powered dragster as he accelerated towards 300 miles per hour (483kmh) in a feature being filmed for the BBC show.

He suffered what his doctors have called a significant brain injury as a result of the accident at an RAF airfield near York.

Although doctors remain concerned about his condition they have said they are "reasonably optimistic that he will make a good recovery".

The accident is being jointly investigated by police and the Health and Safety Executive.

Hammond had been filming at the Elvington airfield in what media reports said was an attempt to break the British land speed record of 300.3 miles per hour (483.18kph) when the accident happened.

A spokesman for the car's sponsor, auto accessory maker Thule, has said that although timers were in place to record Hammond's speed, it would not have qualified as an official record attempt.

Reuters
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[fibercus]

Update; hes making a good recovery:

Top Gear's James May says he is convinced his fellow presenter Richard
Hammond is "perfectly intact" after a conversation at his hospital bedside.

Mr Hammond suffered a "significant brain injury" when he crashed a jet-powered car at a speed of up to 300mph
during filming near York. Mr May said it was not a long talk "but it was a conversation". "I'm not a doctor but I am
his mate and I believe that deep inside the Hammond I know is perfectly intact," he said.

The accident is being investigated by the BBC, the police and the Health and Safety Executive.
Mr Hammond, 36, was earlier moved out of intensive care at Leeds General Infirmary, where he
has been since Wednesday, and doctors said he is making "satisfactory progress"
Doctors said his condition had changed from "serious but stable" to "stable".

The doctors treating him have previously said they are "reasonably optimistic" he will make a good recovery.
Mr Hammond's wife, Mindy, and Top Gear's other host, Jeremy Clarkson, have also been at his bedside.
Mr Clarkson told the Sun newspaper that he had insulted Mr Hammond's driving skills - prompting a smile from Mr Hammond.
He also said Mr Hammond had no visible injuries following the ordeal he had been through other than a black eye. ""


Scene of Richard Hammond's crash at Elvington airfield:




The Vampire:



Estimated top speed: 370mph
Acceleration: 0 to 272mph in 6 seconds
Engine: Rolls Royce Orpheus
Fuel economy: 7-10 gallons per mile
Weight: 2,200 lbs (998kg)
Length: 30 feet (9.14m)


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5371556.stm
(Last Updated: Friday, 22 September 2006)

[Gearcraft]

good to hear he's recovering quickly. man. that machine is a beast.