Top Gear Presenter in Critical Condition

[careener]

Wow..get well soon Hamster.
He was in a jet-car that overturned while filming the show.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/north_yorkshire/5365676.stm


Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond is in a critical condition in hospital after a crash in a jet-powered car while filming for the programme.
The presenter, 36, was taken by air ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary which has a special neurological unit.

A North Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokesman said he was unconscious when they got to the scene and a hospital spokesman described him as "critical"...

[robattoronto]

Sucks to hear that. I always liked this guy better than the pompous Jeremy.

[P90Puma]

Yea I read this on elisetalk.

Hopefully he comes out of this with his health intact.

Best wishes to him and his family.

Hopefully if he is allright he will continue the show, he was the best, but if he doesnt I would understand.

[NDman]

Oh no. That's sad to hear. Hope Hamster will win this fight and make speedy recovery

[mikeroyal]

:( Yea get back soon Richard Top Gear and us Gas heads need you, best motoring program on TV by miles.

[TenzoR]

:( I hope he gets better

[RendX]

Hopefully the hamster can make it through. The show wouldn't be the same without him!

[achc]

Get well soon Hamster, you need to come back on the show.

[sshe11]

thats sad :( ... he's my fav. presenter on Top Gear ...

[McLaren]

TV presenter 'stable' after crash

Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond is stable but remains seriously ill in hospital after he crashed a jet-powered car during filming for the BBC show.

The 36-year-old was thought to be driving at about 300mph on an airfield near York when he crashed on Wednesday.

The BBC, which is likely to be closely scrutinised, and the Health and Safety Executive will investigate the crash.

Top Gear co-host Jeremy Clarkson, who was visiting the hospital, said many motorists were "rooting for" Hammond.

Clarkson was joined at the Leeds General Infirmary by the show's other presenter, James May.

He said in a statement that Hammond and his family were "the most important concerns we have".

"I would just like to say how heartened Richard will be when I tell him just how many motorists and truck drivers on my way here wound down their windows to say they were rooting for him."

Referring to Hammond by his nickname, Clarkson added: "Both James and I are looking forward to getting our 'hamster' back."

He was initially reported to have suffered serious head injuries and was taken to the neurological unit of hospital by helicopter.

A spokesman said Hammond's condition, which was described as serious but stable, had showed some improvement overnight.

Doctors confirmed that his wife was at his bedside and his family had requested that no further information be released.

Hammond was driving a jet-powered dragster similar to the Vampire - used by Colin Fallows to set the British land speed record.

It is thought Hammond was attempting to break Fallows' record of 300.3mph.

The BBC said in a statement that they had already begun to investigate the accident and promised full co-operation with the Health and Safety Executive.

"We continue to be concerned about his condition and we are keeping in touch with his family," the statement said.

Top Gear has courted controversy in the past over its big-budget car stunts.

In 1999 a group of MPs criticised the series for being "obsessed with acceleration and speed".

Last year, lobby group Transport 2000 called for the show to be taken off the air accusing it of "glamorising speed and failing to make the connection with danger on the roads".

At the time, Hammond defended the programme, saying: "Top Gear is an entertaining show, for people that are interested in cars, that is driven by people who have been motoring journalists for many, many years."

Parachutes deployed

Former firefighter Dave Ogden, who was working with Hammond at the Elvington airfield near York, said the car had done several runs when it "veered off to the right".

"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 from us."

His crew and an ambulance rushed over and had to cut Hammond free from the wreckage.

Steve Berry, one of Top Gear's former presenters, said the show had changed over the years.

In the past, he said audiences would have been happy to see the presenter interviewing the driver.

"That's not any good anymore... the audience and the TV producers want you as a presenter to be there, on the inside."

Hammond grew up in Solihull, was educated in Yorkshire and lives near Cheltenham with his wife and children.

In addition to presenting Top Gear for the BBC, he also fronted Brainiac on Sky One and had his own show on ITV1.

http://www.devincomiskey.com/ap-hamstercrash.jpg

[Blue_Thunder13]

wow :|...thats just really shocking...i just hope dat hes able to fully recover and return to the show...top gear just wouldnt be the same without him...

[5abSingh]

heres a bbc news link from google video
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-7166143996175763956&

[Samir]

That sucks, Richard Hammond was always the most hardcore of the 3. Remember when he raced the motorboat kayak on ice and crashed into a giant block of ice ? Or running of the bulls in Spain ?

He was always willing to go the extra mile.

[Evil Techie]

nooooo hamsterrrrrrr

get well soon Hamster

[pgcanred]

They're now describing it as "significant brain injury". :(

Significant Brain Injury (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/5367616.stm)

[SquealADeal]

NO!! Man, I hope this new report is accurate.

Richard: doctors 'optimistic' of good recovery (http://www.topgear.com/content/news/stories/1112/)

[D-Sisive]

i hope he pulls through it all

top gear wont be the same without him

[Madchester]

The Times Online recounted a story of how Clarkson tried to cheer the bed-ridden Hammond's spirits up by calling him a "crap driver." Hammond just smiled upon hearing Jeremy's comment.

I wonder how Captain Slow would have fared in the jetcar. He was originally scheduled to do the run.

[Tofu Drift Shinji]

All the best to Hamster; the show would not be the same without him as Jeremy's foil.

[Slimfast]

I'm seriously choked and gutted...I hope he makes it through without any permanent damage.

It feels like one of my mates has been in an accident.

[jetway1212]

I'm seriously choked and gutted...I hope he makes it through without any permanent damage.

It feels like one of my mates has been in an accident.


^^^ wtf? LOL you seriously have a thing for him huh? LOL Hes your dream mate i guess.

I hate the show so yeah it doesnt matter to me :D (For god's sake, they dont really do car review, but just a bunch of jokes.)

[NDman]

Latest on BBC said his condition been downgraded from "serious" to "stable", while showing signs of improvement

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5371556.stm

[eelfliw]

Wow!

First, Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter gets killed while on the job. Now Richard Hammond gets hurt driving a jet car. What's next?

The TV Show Host job is getting dangerous. Oprah is gonna demand a raise as danger pay. Esp if she interviews Tom Cruise again.

[SquealADeal]

^^^ wtf? LOL you seriously have a thing for him huh? LOL Hes your dream mate i guess.

I hate the show so yeah it doesnt matter to me :D (For god's sake, they dont really do car review, but just a bunch of jokes.)

Ahhh, human compassion, so refreshing…

The show doesn’t matter so neither does his life.

Nice.

[Silver Bullet]

Get well soon Hammond! :cool:

[jollyeskimo]

Telegraph UK (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2006/09/30/mrmay30.xml)


And it seems he is. I'm writing this five days before you'll read it, and only five days after the event, but so far his performance is little short of remarkable. At this rate, by the time you buy this paper he will be performing unicycle stunts and making me look soft for even worrying about him.

I hope he gets well enough soon enough so that this season of TG isn't too affected... there's barely enough episodes these days as it is.

[Evil Techie]

Telegraph UK (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2006/09/30/mrmay30.xml)



I hope he gets well enough soon enough so that this season of TG isn't too affected... there's barely enough episodes these days as it is.

and we really need TG back since 5th gear's quality has gone all the way downhill...

[jollyeskimo]

Top Gear production resumes:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006460299,00.html

[TenzoR]

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/23/richard-hammond-released-from-hospital-describes-crash-and-rec/

Richard will be fine :)

[galanz]

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/23/richard-hammond-released-from-hospital-describes-crash-and-rec/

Richard will be fine :)

"Richard partially attributes his recovery to obsessively playing with Legos and memory-card games."

Lego, is there anything it can't do?
Great news, an amazing recovery by 'The Hamster'.

[manixc]

man, glad he's better. To crash at 288mph and still live, only a Top Gear host can do that.

[hyperion]

Looking forward to new episodes.

[idk-bart]

He couldn't remember his name, didn't know what he'd ordered for lunch and could hardly recall why he was there in the first place, but he knew how fast a Pagani Zonda could go. Sounds like the Richard we know and love.

man... what a guy. really glad he's a host on top gear.

[NDman]

He couldn't remember his name, didn't know what he'd ordered for lunch and could hardly recall why he was there in the first place, but he knew how fast a Pagani Zonda could go. Sounds like the Richard we know and love.

Rightfully so. That is his favourite car!

Anyway, a heads-up and reminder that TG Season 9 is back next week! Remember to check your recorder, or whatever source you have for the new episodes

[puff_daddy_58_99]

I recommend www.finalgear.com as a great source of top gear news, discussion forums, and potential sources for the show.

[jollyeskimo]

I recommend www.finalgear.com as a great source of top gear news, discussion forums, and potential sources for the show.

Damn, see the teaser clips? They've got Captain Slow in the Veyron!