Autoblog

Britain's Health and Safety Executive faulted both the BBC and the makers of the Vampire dragster, Primetime Landspeed Engineering, for Richard Hammond's dastardly crash. The HSE said that the risk assessment that Primetime gave to the BBC didn't take into account that Hammond didn't have the necessary skills to pilot the car in an emergency. So the BBC, according to the HSE, should have given Hammond enough time to learn how to drive the car and also should have challenged the risk assessment it was given, but it did not.

Hammond crashed the dragster at 288 mph and spent five weeks in the hospital with brain injuries. He has since fully recovered. Neither the BBC nor Primetime, though, will be prosecuted.

[Source: Drive.com.au]

Despite the fact that doctors predicted he would be in the hospital for 15 months, Richard Hammond exited the ER after only a couple of weeks following his horrific accident involving a jet car that he lost control of at over 300 mph. Last Friday Hammond gave his first interview on Brit Jonathan Ross's talk show, which we've assembled here for you after the jump. The interview comes in two parts and totals around 15 minutes.

We have no idea who Jonathan Ross is, but apparently Hammond was hankering a trip back to the '70s and the purple and red set of Jonathan Ross hit the spot. In their conversation, Hammond reveals that he can't remember the two weeks following the crash, and that by doctors' orders he's not allowed to drink, at least heavily, for the next two years.

Seeing the Hamster engaging in a conversation, successfully at that, is a bit weird considering the story we've all been following. No one would be surprised if the man arrived on set in a full body cast sipping lunch through a straw, but instead Hammond saunters on stage and shows us all that his trademark wit and humor has recovered fully.

Check out the videos after the jump.

Thanks for the tip, Matt!

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The Hamster's back! We're pleased to report that after a miraculously brief recovery period following his mishap with a 300-mph jet-powered dragster, Richard Hammond is back in action, and so is Top Gear.

Richard was on hand today for the filming of the program's annual awards ceremony. While we never did get the point of awarding more than one Man or Car of the Year prize, Richard's colleagues presented him with one of their Man of the Year awards for his epic recovery and to welcome him back. And he sure deserves it. The folks at Lego, the skill-building toy to which Hammond previously attributed his rapid recovery, also presented him with a toy-block replica of the jet car that sent him plowing the field, as well as a replica of the Top Gear set, complete with little Hammond, little Clarkson, little May and little Stig.

And now with Richard back in action and with no further ado, the news you've all been waiting for: the new season of Top Gear is confirmed to air on January 28, only a month and a half away. Of course that's only if you get BBC2, but we won't be surprised to find the episodes popping up online at the BBC's website and intermittently on YouTube et al.

Welcome back, Richard, and welcome back, Top Gear. We've all missed you terribly.

For those coming late to the story, check out these...
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• Richard Hammond, released from hospital, describes crash and recovery
• VIDEO: Hamster dragster crash footage!
• Set the TiVo: Hammond crash will be made into show
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• Hammond Watch: the grueling road ahead
• Hammond to BBC: show the crash and me in the hospital
• Top Gear fights for survival as BBC postpones show indefinitely
• Hammond Update: "Was I driving like a tw*t?"
• Giving in the name of Richard Hammond
• Top Gear's "Hamster" in stable but serious condition day after crash
• UPDATE: Details on Richard Hammond crash
• Top Gear's Richard Hammond in critical condition

[Source: Top Gear]

Defying all the odds, we're glad to report that Top Gear host Richard Hammond has been released from the hospital and is recovering with his family at an undisclosed private location. Despite the very serious nature of his crash and the potential brain damage incurred, Richard's doctors all expect him to make a 100% full and complete recovery.

For those joining the saga a little late, "the Hamster", as he's affectionately known, was filming a segment for the popular BBC television program Top Gear, driving a record-setting jet-powered dragster when it blew out a tire at 288 mph, sending the car, with Richard in it, flipping endlessly through a field. Hammond was rescued from the overturned jet-car with his head plowed into the dirt, barely responsive. He was airlifted to an emergency hospital in Leeds before being moved out of intensive care to another hospital in Bristol.

Now speeding down the fast lane to recovery, Richard has given personal accounts to the Mirror, a British newspaper for which he writes a regular column. In four separate articles, Richard describes the crash, his hospitalization, the effects on his family and the things that have helped him recover. Click the Read link to see what the Hamster has to say about his ordeal and recovery.

[Source: The Mirror]

As we reported earlier, Richard Hammond was volunteering, if not lobbying from his bedside, for the BBC to show the footage of his 300-mph dragster crash that put him in the hospital and Top Gear on hiatus.

Meanwhile, here at Autoblog we've been happy to report that the Hamster is on the fast road to recovery and that the BBC has resumed filming of the show in anticipation of Richard's immanent return, and may show the crash footage. But we wouldn't want to keep our dedicated readers waiting.

Now anyone who's ever seen the show knows that Richard has a brilliant sense of humor. So with all this in mind, we bring you this video. Enjoy!

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Thanks for the tip, Yosef!

[Source: DragsterCrash.com]

Some feared that anti-motoring opportunists would use Richard Hammond's crash as a pretext to have the show shut down, but the BBC is making good on its pledge not to cancel Top Gear.

While Richard recovers from his injuries at a hospital in Bristol, England, fellow host Jeremy Clarkson test drove the latest Lotus Europa on camera, as filming resumes for the new series only on segments that don't require Hammond's presence. They don't yet know when the new series will air, because that depends on when Richard is recovered and able to return to the set.

We can speculate that the positive news will help Richard recover faster, knowing that he's got a show to return to when he's up to it. And we just can't wait.

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Thanks to all the vigilant tipsters who've been sending us news on Hammond and Top Gear; stay tuned for more news as it emerges.

[Source: BBC News]

The next six months will prove to be the most crucial for Richard Hammond's recovery, his doctors have revealed. For those joining the saga a bit late, the Top Gear host crashed at 300 mph while attempting a land speed record in a jet-powered dragster on film for the BBC program.

Shortly after the accident, the Hamster was out of bed, walking around and making jokes. But while this was an encouraging sign of his fast recovery, it could take him another six months to fully rehabilitate as the extent of the brain damage will unfold.

The injuries were minimized thanks to the racing harnesses and restraints that had him securely fastened into the cockpit, but it could take some time before Richard is back to his usual, vivacious self. We'll just have to keep on hoping and praying for him in the meantime.

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Follow the link for detailed information.

[Source: BBC News]

From his hospital bed, Top Gear's Richard Hammond is asking the BBC to show on television the footage of the crash that put him there. But the BBC has said the show will only continue when Hammond is able to appear on it. With forces at work to have the show canceled (or prohibitively curtailed), the Hamster is also prepared to go on TV from his bedside.

In typical Top Gear fashion, Richard has been speeding down the fast lane towards full recovery, but he's afraid he won't be back fast enough, leaving no show for him to return to. According to a "close friend", "Richard could not stand to feel he was to blame for the demise of the show he loves... He's terrified they're going to axe it while he's stuck in hospital."

Now that's dedication to motor journalism.

Watch this space for more info as the parallel sagas of Richard's recovery and Top Gear's fight for survival unfold.

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[Source: The Daly Mail]

As Top Gear host Richard Hammond recovers from his 300-mph crash, the show's future remains in limbo. The crash occurred while filming a segment for the upcoming series, but with Hammond still in hospital with the full scope of his injuries still unknown, the new season is being postponed indefinitely.

That doesn't mean it's being cancelled. Not yet, at least. The BBC is simply putting it off until Richard's back to his usual smiling self and the team can together decide how to proceed. A strong indication came from co-host Jeremy Clarkson, who boldly declared, "Next week I intend to be down on the track driving faster than ever", and from the show's producer Andy Wilman, who said he'll quit if they have any restrictions placed on the show.

With simultaneous investigations underway by the police and highway safety departments, and a mounting campaign to take the show off the air (or at least curtail the extent of their high-speed shenanigans), the Top Gear team is fighting hard to keep the show, and keep its integrity.

Do you think Top Gear should continue its unrelenting quest for the best in automotive adventures, or have they gone one rev too far? Leave your opinion in our comments section.

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[Source: Reuters]

Here at Autoblog we've been inundated with comments and news updates from well-wishers praying for Richard Hammond's full and speedy recovery following his shocking 300-mph crash this past Wednesday. And so we're pleased to report that the Hamster's condition is improving dramatically.

According to Hammond's Top Gear co-star Jeremy Clarkson, little more than a day after the crash, Richard spontaneously sat up in his hospital bed, asked what happened, joked around a bit, then got out of bed and walked to the washroom.

Of course these may seem like fairly ordinary functions, but not when you consider that Hammond was subjected to as much as 100g's of force as his jet-powered car rolled and left him unconscious and buried head-first in the dirt, initially classified in critical condition.

The crash was apparently caused by a burst tire. Follow the link to Clarkson's article in The Sun for a riveting account of the day of the crash, the events that lead to it, Hammond's miraculous progress on the road to full recovery, and the battle that lay ahead to keep Top Gear on the air.

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