Richard Hammond was flown to hospital on Saturday after a terrifying car crash while filming The Grand Tour in Switzerland. The much-loved presenter was driving an electric super car on a practice run when the crash happened. Thankfully, Richard, 47, escaped with minor injuries and is now recovering in hospital. His co-star Jeremy Clarkson took to his Twitter page after the accident and said: “It is the biggest crash I’ve ever seen and the most frightening but incredibly, and thankfully, Richard seems to be mostly OK.”
A statement released by the show said: “Richard Hammond was involved in a serious car crash after completing the Hemberg Hill Climb in Switzerland in a Rimac Concept One, an electric super car built in Croatia, during filming for The Grand Tour Season 2 on Amazon Prime, but very fortunately suffered no serious injury. Richard was conscious and talking, and climbed out of the car himself before the vehicle burst into flames. He was flown by Air Ambulance to hospital in St Gallen to be checked over revealing a fracture to his knee.” The statement said that the cause of the crash is not known and investigations are underway.
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The Grand Tour’s executive producer Andy Wilman told the Sunday Mirror that initially Richard’s colleagues had feared the worst. He said: “Jeremy and James both raced down to the scene of the crash as soon as it happened. When they saw the wreckage on fire they thought Richard was dead. It was really bad.” He said the co-stars were amazed Richard survived the crash and he was fortunate he managed to leave the car so quickly.
Richard Hammond with his Grand Tour co-stars Jeremy Clarkson and James May
Fans of the show took to social media to express their shock at the crash and wish Richard well. Jeremy posted a photo of the burnt-out car on his Instagram account, writing: “And Richard is OK.” One concerned follower said: “That's good news. I saw the pictures. Looked an awful accident.” Another wrote: “The man with so many life's lives on. Wish him well from Scotland.” Over on Twitter, one fan posted: “Thank god he’s ok. And thank you for the fast clarification, Best wishes to @RichardHammond for a speedy recovery.”
This is not the first serious accident for TV star Richard. Back in 2006, he was hurt in a high-speed crash in a Vampire Dragster while filming Top Gear. He was in a coma for two weeks following the crash and suffered brain injuries yet fortunately went on to make a full recovery. Then in 2009 he was involved in three incidents: he fell from a horse in the January, in the August he was in a car pile-up and he tripped while running in the November. We wish Richard well as he recovers from Saturday’s crash.