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]

Liability in Hammond crash falls on dragster maker, BBC originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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[Source: Top Gear]

Top Gear's back, with Hammond, airing Jan28 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]

Continue reading Richard Hammond, released from hospital, describes crash and recovery

Richard Hammond, released from hospital, describes crash and recovery originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Oct 2006 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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• Hammond Update: "Was I driving like a tw*t?"
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Follow the link for detailed information.

[Source: BBC News]

Hammond Watch: the grueling road ahead originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Oct 2006 11:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]

Hammond to BBC: show the crash and me in the hospital originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Sep 2006 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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Top Gear fights for survival as BBC postpones show indefinitely originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Sep 2006 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Related posts:

• Giving in the name of Richard Hammond
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Hammond Update: "Was I driving like a tw*t?" originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Sep 2006 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sky News is reporting more details on the circumstances surrounding the crash involving Top Gear host Richard Hammond. Apparently Hammond was making an attempt at the British land speed record in the Thule Vampire, a 30-foot Rolls-Royce jet-powered dragster made in Sweden capable of reaching 272 mph in six seconds en route to a theoretical top speed of 370. The crash took place at over 280 mph.

Hammond is being treated at Leeds General Infirmary. According to one of the firefighters on the scene, Hammond was speaking (and therefore presumably conscious) as he was being rescued from the overturned vehicle.

[Source: Sky News via Jalopnik]

UPDATE: Details on Richard Hammond crash originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Sep 2006 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The news comes on the heels of another terrible crash involving fellow automotive journalist Paul Frère.

No further news is known at this time regarding the extent or nature of the beloved 36-year-old television personality's injuries or what exactly went wrong.

We'd like to express our appreciation to all our readers who sent us the sad news.

We're all pulling for you, Hamster.

[Source: BBC News]

Top Gear's Richard Hammond in critical condition originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Sep 2006 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.