Richard Hammond - Top Gear

[Nicci_5132668]

Reports on Sky News that he has had a serious accident while filming top gear.

Apparently he is in cirtical condition after a crash in a car at approx 280 miles an hour.

I hope he gets better soon

 

[sparkes]

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".

The BBC confirmed the presenter had been injured during a Top Gear shoot.

Inspector Mike Thompson, of North Yorkshire Police, said officers were dealing with the incident at Elvington airfield, a former RAF base, in North Yorkshire.

He said: "At 5.45pm this evening we received a report via the fire service of a male person trapped in what was described as 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."

The presenter was born in Birmingham, educated in Yorkshire and lives near Cheltenham.

In addition to presenting Top Gear for the BBC, he also fronted Brainiac on Sky One until recently.

 

[LMH]

Oh god, I hope he is going to pull through, I really like him as a person. He seems such a nice genuine sort of chap.

I wish him well and feel for his family.

Lisa.

 

[BrianStAlbans]

Was he towing a caravan?

 

[Nicci_5132668]

He was driving at 300 miles an hour, so i really doubt he was towing a caravan.

I feel for his wife and kids

 

[LMH]

Was he towing a caravan?

Smack on the wrist.

 

[Ian.L]

to brian

would you be saying the same thing if it was your son or any of your family i dont think so it just shows what type of man you are so you are still carrying a grudge try telling that to his poor family idiot

 

[BrianStAlbans]

still carrying a grudge ,sorry don't understand.

Would I still say it if it were my family, err yes I probably would.

idiot, whatever.

 

[Moderator2_5083849]

Just heard the news about Richard Hammond.

Whilst he, and all presenters of motoring shows, know there is risk involved in such jobs, it is a tragedy that it has happened to one of the nicest guys I have ever had the privilege to meet, and a terrible shock for his family.

There is no need for sarcastic comments on this site about such an accident, no matter what he may have previously been part of, even if it was poking fun at caravanners.

For goodness sake show some respect for a critically ill person.

 

[Nicci_5132668]

Just heard the news about Richard Hammond.

Whilst he, and all presenters of motoring shows, know there is risk involved in such jobs, it is a tragedy that it has happened to one of the nicest guys I have ever had the privilege to meet, and a terrible shock for his family.

There is no need for sarcastic comments on this site about such an accident, no matter what he may have previously been part of, even if it was poking fun at caravanners.

For goodness sake show some respect for a critically ill person.

Respect seem to be a bit thin around here, doesnt matter what it being talked about, sad but true.

 

[BrianStAlbans]

We all deal with things in different ways . May I apologise to those who feel my way was not appropriate.

Brian

 

[Viking1]

just came on the web and see he been in a acciden.

I hope he gets well soon.

Mark

 

[Ian.L]

Lets hope he pulls through he's a good guy and a good presenter and hope is family coping

 

[lolly_5087162]

I hope Richard Hammond pulls through - I think he is he is absolutely gorgeous!

Thinking of him and his family.

Lolly x

 

[Litespeed]

It's a shame it wasnt that Muppet, Clarkson!....Sounds very callous I know, but I have my reasons.

 

[Fubar]

My kids are absolutely gutted, they are big fans of Top Gear and Brianiac and Richard in particular, and love the look on my face when he blows up a caravan!

our thoughts go out to him and his family, who must be going through hell at the moment.

whatever your views on Top Gear and it's presenters, please keep the sarcasm to a mimimum - it is not appropriate.

Mark

 

[gavin_5121842]

Just like to also wish the Hampster a speedy and full recovery.

I'm sure Brians comments were not meant to cause offence,and i'm sure Richard himself would find his comments both ammusing and unnofensive.

 

[Val & Frank]

I do feel sorry for his family,but the question I ask is. Why put yourself in a position, that with one minor mistake you could end up dead !!!!. Was he testing some new braking system for the benefit of all drivers, or was he out for kicks and dramatic television ???. Ok for him if he ends up in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, but not for his family. Selfish springs to mind. I am not a kill joy, but I do find it difficult to come over all oooohhhhhhh ah when someone is almost attempting suicide for no reason what so ever. Sorry not for no reason except but to entertain himself and others. Top Gear has moved on from being a car show to being an entertainment vehicle for the BBC ratings. It has been moving in this direction for sometime now.

Val & Frank

 

[JeremyClarksson]

Frank

He was trying to break a record.

If there were not people prepared to push boundaries and take risks we would still be cave dwellers.

Would you say the same about the people in the space shuttle or Ellen MacArthur?

I wish Richard a speedy and full recovery.

 

[gavin_5121842]

Garry,

i can't believe you try to compare this "stunt" with the achievments of NASA astronauts or Ellen MacArthur.

My first reaction when i heard the news was "what were they thinking of"

Driving Porches, Ferraris,etc, fast round an old airfield is one thing (and great to watch), but this is quite another.

Theres nothing wrong with pushing boundries, but in this case it may have been the wrong person doing the pushing,

Gavin.

 

[Val & Frank]

Hi Garry

The point I was making.

It was HIS choice, It's like the ongoing debate at the moment over rural speed limits, in Aberdeenshire loads of kids are killed on rural roads. So the answer to that is, reduce the speed limit for everyone. The kids will kill themselves no matter what the limit. At 60 mph limit they kill themselves so what will they do at 50 mph. You got it kill themselves. It is literaly suicide, that's what this guy was doing trying for a world record. Sod the ones they leave behind to grieve and to pick up the pieces. Selfish again springs to mind.

Val & Frank

 

[MikeAce]

A fantastic presenter and lets not forget a human being, a son, and a father has been hurt, lets hope he heals fast and makes a full recovery.

No one else, not even clarkson deserves to have taken his place, lets leave rediculous comments and sarcasm out of this thread, no one in the world deserves this.

Just wish him a speedy recovery.

Good luck hammond.

 

[Guest]

I suspect that there is a lot more to come out of this than first envisaged.

It would appear from the latest reports that he was not supposed to have done this drive, it was supposed to have been one of his co-presenters. It also appears that although he was a competent driver, he was not qualified to drive this type of vehicle. These are usually restricted to personnel with fighter pilot experience. I do remember that the recent land speed record achieved in Utah was done by a RAF fighter pilot at the controls. Health and Safety are also looking into the case to see if any rules or guidelines were broken by the BBC, the suggestion being that the making of the programme was the primary interest.

None of this in any way demeans the sadness I feel at this accident, in particular I feel for his wife and family who will be the ones to suffer most.

I also feel it is ironic that on the same day that this occurs, the same newspapers are reporting the sentencing of a 19 year old youth for mowing down a young girl about to become a trainee doctor. He was driving at 70 mph in a built up area in an unlicensed vehicle. His excuse was that he was late for a court appearance where he was to face charges of dangerous driving, usually of unlicensed vehicles. His sentence? 4 years. As the editorial commented, if he had used a gun instead of a car then he would have achieved the same objective, but received twice the sentence.

While I appreciate Top Gear has a wide audience of viewers, it is hoped that the programme may now tone down its subliminal message that speed is macho. I enjoyed it very much in its early days as it gave me a lot of information on everyday cars, now it appears that screaming tyres and destruction are the priorities, and I am not just referring to caravans.

I do hope Mr Hammond makes a full recovery for the sake of himself andhis family, if not the BBC will have examine its role in the matter. If nothing else is achieved it should be a salutory lesson to us all, that even the best can get it wrong.

 

[Rich]

I was shocked when I heard about the Hampsters accident. Now this brings home the dangers journalists are expected to expose themselves to even if they are not reporting in conflicts round the world. He is typical of most motoring journalists, they take their jobs very seriously and do know the dangers involved with the work they do and do try to keep things as safe as possibl. Now I know it does not make what has happened any less upseting for all involved.

The comments about suicidal or being being wrong for this particuar assignment are a bit short sighted. With things like this almost every eventuality is looked at and they do try to make things as safe as possible. Emergency services are in attendence and enough technicians are giving advice to make sure if any of them feel the guy behind the wheel is not suitable then they will not let them do the test. Pressure to make the program is not so strong that people are going to just throw themselves down a runway at close to 300MPH if they are not up to the job. Richard Hammond is a very skilled driver and just becuase he is a journalist does not make him any less suitable for this than a figher pilot... How many figher pilots drive as many miles as motoring Journalists do or have the skill to win rally championships or Grand Prix races? They drive with the same skills we all have. Accidents do happen and Richard was pushing the himself because, that is how he is built. He is as competitive as any racer and probably more skilled than many club racers round the country. Is he selfish?? I personally don't think he is. As I said he has control ultimately over if the test was going to happen and how far he felt comfortable pushing the car. All involved will have made sure the car is as safe as possible and could stop Richard from getting inot the car, but unfortunately accidents can and do happen. Just because this was not at 70MPH does not mean he took exessive risks. The car was designed to do 370MPH. OK 280MPH is not slow but it was well within the design of the car.I have known riders who race fall off motorcycles at well over 190MPH and just walk away. I also know one who fell off at about 60MPH who is now confined to a wheel chair and the worst one was a young guy who fell off at about 30MPH and was killed by another rider who could not avoid him and then like the Great, 9 Time world motorcycle champion, Mike Hailwood who was killed going to the chip shop!

Life is all about risks and we do the jobs we do or sports we enjoy knowing full well the possible risks. So please unless you know what is involved with jobs like this please keep your opinions to yourselves. He was not some kid running red lights or an idiot doing stupid speeds through towns with pedstrians and kids everywhere, He is a professional who knows exactly what he is doing and deserves the same respect any professional who does this type of thing for living!!! As I said accidents happen and could happen the next time you go shopping.

I wish Richard a speedy and full recovery.

 

[Val & Frank]

I was shocked when I heard about the Hampsters accident. Now this brings home the dangers journalists are expected to expose themselves to even if they are not reporting in conflicts round the world. He is typical of most motoring journalists, they take their jobs very seriously and do know the dangers involved with the work they do and do try to keep things as safe as possibl. Now I know it does not make what has happened any less upseting for all involved.

The comments about suicidal or being being wrong for this particuar assignment are a bit short sighted. With things like this almost every eventuality is looked at and they do try to make things as safe as possible. Emergency services are in attendence and enough technicians are giving advice to make sure if any of them feel the guy behind the wheel is not suitable then they will not let them do the test. Pressure to make the program is not so strong that people are going to just throw themselves down a runway at close to 300MPH if they are not up to the job. Richard Hammond is a very skilled driver and just becuase he is a journalist does not make him any less suitable for this than a figher pilot... How many figher pilots drive as many miles as motoring Journalists do or have the skill to win rally championships or Grand Prix races? They drive with the same skills we all have. Accidents do happen and Richard was pushing the himself because, that is how he is built. He is as competitive as any racer and probably more skilled than many club racers round the country. Is he selfish?? I personally don't think he is. As I said he has control ultimately over if the test was going to happen and how far he felt comfortable pushing the car. All involved will have made sure the car is as safe as possible and could stop Richard from getting inot the car, but unfortunately accidents can and do happen. Just because this was not at 70MPH does not mean he took exessive risks. The car was designed to do 370MPH. OK 280MPH is not slow but it was well within the design of the car.I have known riders who race fall off motorcycles at well over 190MPH and just walk away. I also know one who fell off at about 60MPH who is now confined to a wheel chair and the worst one was a young guy who fell off at about 30MPH and was killed by another rider who could not avoid him and then like the Great, 9 Time world motorcycle champion, Mike Hailwood who was killed going to the chip shop!

Life is all about risks and we do the jobs we do or sports we enjoy knowing full well the possible risks. So please unless you know what is involved with jobs like this please keep your opinions to yourselves. He was not some kid running red lights or an idiot doing stupid speeds through towns with pedstrians and kids everywhere, He is a professional who knows exactly what he is doing and deserves the same respect any professional who does this type of thing for living!!! As I said accidents happen and could happen the next time you go shopping.

I wish Richard a speedy and full recovery.

We to wish Richard a speedy recovery. But it won't go away that this was a needless event. If I want to watch very fast cars I just need to go to ITV and watch F1. The BBC has changed Top Gear from a Motoring programe to a sensational dramatic drama.

Speed is the only thing on the show. Just look at the way they have celebs try to go around the track as fast as possible. Speed Kills and now Clarkson and co-presenters have had it brought home. Unfortunatly by a very serious accident, we are not gloating, in fact we are sad that this happened. For What though ?? We know cars can do 250/280 mph you don't have to keep going out to show it.

Val & Frank