Richard Hammond
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Originally Posted by jaws,Sep 20 2006, 03:43 PM
He's not dead.
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From: Santa Monica
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hammond
At approximately 5:45pm BST on 20 September 2006, Hammond was seriously injured in a car crash while filming for Top Gear at the former RAF Elvington airfield near York. He was piloting a jet-powered Vampire car, which is theoretically capable of travelling at 370mph (592 kph).[citation needed]
According to some sources, he was not in an attempt to break the British Land Speed Record, however this contradicts a statement given by the owner of 'Event Fire Services' which was hired to provide safety cover . He was said to be travelling at 280mph (450 kmh) at the time of the crash. He is being treated at the specialist neurological unit of the Leeds General Infirmary and is currently in a stable condition, downgraded from "serious, but stable".
Consultants at Leeds General Hospital said that he has "a significant brain injury", and that they expect him to make a "good recovery." BBC reports suggest that he was air-lifted from the crash scene drifting in and out of consciousness. North Yorkshire Police have said that they "received a report via the fire service of a male person trapped in an overturned jet car which had been driven on the airfield."
Sky News and BBC News report that he was driving a Vampire jet car powered by a Rolls Royce Orpheus Turbo-Jet Engine; the very same car that currently holds the British landspeed record at 300.3 mph (480.48 kmh). Primetime Land Speed Engineering have now denied reports that Richard was making an attempt to break the land speed record, although telemetry on one of the runs did suggest that he had reached 300mph (480 kmh).
According to witnesses, Hammond was completing a final run to collect extra footage for the programme when "One of the parachutes had deployed but it went on to the grass and spun over and over before coming to a rest about 100 yards (90 m) from us." When rescuers arrived at the car it was upside down and "dug in" to the grass. Rescuers felt a pulse and heard Hammond, who was unconscious, breathing before the car was turned right way up. Hammond was cut free, put in a neck brace and placed on a stretcher before the air ambulance arrived. "He was regaining consciousness at that point and said he had some lower back pain".
ITV News reported that Hammond had broken the British land speed record and was on a last run, filming extra scenes for Top Gear, when the accident took place. Hammond's family are with him at the hospital, along with Top Gear representatives who were there when the accident took place, as well as Top Gear co-presenters James May and Jeremy Clarkson. Jeremy Clarkson is quoted by the BBC as saying "Both James and I are looking forward to getting our 'hamster' back.", referring to Hammond by his nickname. Clarkson also told The Sun newspaper that he and May had insulted Hammond over his driving skills, prompting a smile from the injured presenter.
A quote from Dave Ogden from Event Fire Services, present at the scene of the accident, as broadcast on Sky News that evening: "He was just doing the final run of the day - I don't know quite what happened - but the parachute deployed. There was quite a lot of smoke and the car veered off to the right and on to the grass, and it overturned several times and it came to a halt a couple of hundred yards in front of us."
The doctor treating Hammond announced on September 21 that he has a "significant brain injury" but is reasonably optimistic he will make a good recovery. It also became clear that Hammond's co-presenter James May was originally supposed to be driving the car. May explained later that a leaked shooting schedule made weeks before the incident was changed due to scheduling conflicts. After visiting Hammond in the hospital, May remarked: "I was chuffed to see him and although he's muttering, he seems much like the irritating little shit I know and love. Even when he can't say much, he seemed to make as much sense as he does when he can talk normally...Having seen him today I do believe Richard will make a full recovery from this awful crash and, when he's back on his feet, I'm looking forward to going down to the pub with him.".
Hammond's condition was downgraded from "serious but stable" to "stable" in the morning of September 22, when he was moved out of intensive care.
At approximately 5:45pm BST on 20 September 2006, Hammond was seriously injured in a car crash while filming for Top Gear at the former RAF Elvington airfield near York. He was piloting a jet-powered Vampire car, which is theoretically capable of travelling at 370mph (592 kph).[citation needed]
According to some sources, he was not in an attempt to break the British Land Speed Record, however this contradicts a statement given by the owner of 'Event Fire Services' which was hired to provide safety cover . He was said to be travelling at 280mph (450 kmh) at the time of the crash. He is being treated at the specialist neurological unit of the Leeds General Infirmary and is currently in a stable condition, downgraded from "serious, but stable".
Consultants at Leeds General Hospital said that he has "a significant brain injury", and that they expect him to make a "good recovery." BBC reports suggest that he was air-lifted from the crash scene drifting in and out of consciousness. North Yorkshire Police have said that they "received a report via the fire service of a male person trapped in an overturned jet car which had been driven on the airfield."
Sky News and BBC News report that he was driving a Vampire jet car powered by a Rolls Royce Orpheus Turbo-Jet Engine; the very same car that currently holds the British landspeed record at 300.3 mph (480.48 kmh). Primetime Land Speed Engineering have now denied reports that Richard was making an attempt to break the land speed record, although telemetry on one of the runs did suggest that he had reached 300mph (480 kmh).
According to witnesses, Hammond was completing a final run to collect extra footage for the programme when "One of the parachutes had deployed but it went on to the grass and spun over and over before coming to a rest about 100 yards (90 m) from us." When rescuers arrived at the car it was upside down and "dug in" to the grass. Rescuers felt a pulse and heard Hammond, who was unconscious, breathing before the car was turned right way up. Hammond was cut free, put in a neck brace and placed on a stretcher before the air ambulance arrived. "He was regaining consciousness at that point and said he had some lower back pain".
ITV News reported that Hammond had broken the British land speed record and was on a last run, filming extra scenes for Top Gear, when the accident took place. Hammond's family are with him at the hospital, along with Top Gear representatives who were there when the accident took place, as well as Top Gear co-presenters James May and Jeremy Clarkson. Jeremy Clarkson is quoted by the BBC as saying "Both James and I are looking forward to getting our 'hamster' back.", referring to Hammond by his nickname. Clarkson also told The Sun newspaper that he and May had insulted Hammond over his driving skills, prompting a smile from the injured presenter.
A quote from Dave Ogden from Event Fire Services, present at the scene of the accident, as broadcast on Sky News that evening: "He was just doing the final run of the day - I don't know quite what happened - but the parachute deployed. There was quite a lot of smoke and the car veered off to the right and on to the grass, and it overturned several times and it came to a halt a couple of hundred yards in front of us."
The doctor treating Hammond announced on September 21 that he has a "significant brain injury" but is reasonably optimistic he will make a good recovery. It also became clear that Hammond's co-presenter James May was originally supposed to be driving the car. May explained later that a leaked shooting schedule made weeks before the incident was changed due to scheduling conflicts. After visiting Hammond in the hospital, May remarked: "I was chuffed to see him and although he's muttering, he seems much like the irritating little shit I know and love. Even when he can't say much, he seemed to make as much sense as he does when he can talk normally...Having seen him today I do believe Richard will make a full recovery from this awful crash and, when he's back on his feet, I'm looking forward to going down to the pub with him.".
Hammond's condition was downgraded from "serious but stable" to "stable" in the morning of September 22, when he was moved out of intensive care.
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