‘The Grand Tour’ Season 2: Former ‘Top Gear’ Host Richard Hammond’s Rimac Concept One Crashes, Burns To Ashes
Richard Hammond has been involved in a serious crash in Switzerland. He was in Rimac Concept One, an electric super car made in Croatia. The former Top Gear presenter was filming for The Grand Tour Season 2 on Amazon Prime. He was airlifted to hospital after the accident took place while he was completing the Hemberg Hill Climb. The car burst into flames after the crash. Fortunately, the 47-year-old presenter managed to climb out of the vehicle before the fire started.
According to co-host Jeremy Clarkson, it was the “most frightening” accident he has ever come across. Hammond’s knee was fractured, but he was conscious after the crash. He also managed to talk despite his injury. He was airlifted to a hospital in St Gallen so that he could be checked.
Local police spokesman Gian Andrea Rezzoli confirmed to 20min.ch that one person was injured during the crash. He also confirmed that the person had been taken to a hospital.
Clarkson shared an image of the burnt Rimac Concept One involved in the crash. The electric super car looked completely destroyed in the fire. Hammond must be extremely fortunate to have been able to climb out of the car before the destruction took place. A YouTube video by the BBC also showed a number of close-up images of the burnt vehicle.
Another YouTube video captured the moment of the crash. The white Rimac Concept One that Richard Hammond was driving apparently went out of control and diverted from its usual track. It fell off the lush green fields and burst into flames.
Richard Hammond was the only one present in the car. Nobody else was involved in the crash. The show issued a statement to thank the paramedics on site for their instant response. It also clarified that Hammond did not suffer any serious injury.
Even Clarkson confirmed in his tweet that his co-host was “mostly OK.” According to the show’s statement, the cause of the accident is still unknown. The matter is under investigation, it said.
A post shared by Jeremy Clarkson (@jeremyclarkson1) on
This is not the first time Richard Hammond has been involved in a crash. While filming for the BBC’s Top Gear near York in 2006, he suffered brain injuries in a crash. His car was at 280 mph when it crashed. Even though he reportedly suffered brain injuries, Hammond clarified to his fans that he had not suffered any long-term brain damage. However, he claimed that his food habits changed after the crash. He apparently developed a fondness for celery after the crash.
It was the biggest crash I’ve ever seen and the most frightening but incredibly, and thankfully, Richard seems to be mostly OK.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) June 10, 2017
According to a 2008 report by The Telegraph, luteolin reduces the kind of brain inflammation that Richard Hammond was suffering from. The compound is found in parsley, chamomile, green pepper and the vegetable he started liking, celery. However, an American team that studied the relation between Hammond’s injuries and the effect of luteolin on humans believes there is no concrete relation between the two.
James May was earlier asked when The Grand Tour Series 2 would air on Amazon Prime Video. He said that fans would be able to watch it in October 2017.
“But after that, you’ll be able to see it whenever you want, of course. I’m told to say that!”
Digital Spy reported that May also talked about the huge amount of money spent to produce the show. According to him, it is quite an expensive show to make. With the high budget of the show, Richard Hammond’s crash would be a setback to the team. We hope that the injury is not serious enough. The team’s claim that the presenter is fine after the crash despite the knee injury is definitely assuring for the fans.
[Featured Image by Clemens Bilan/Getty Images for Amazon Prime Video]
