Richard Hammond's first words to Andrew Flintoff after horrific Top Gear crash speak volumes
Richard Hammond has offered words of support to Andrew Flintoff after his horror Top Gear crash.
Hammond hosted Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and James May for over a decade, filming 21 seasons of the BBC series.
He left the show in 2015 and new presenters were brought in to keep the show running, including Flintoff who joined the series in 2019.
However, Top Gear is currently indefinitely shelved after Flintoff was involved in a horrific crash while filming for the show, and Hammond has spoken out about the crash.
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Speaking to Times Radio in February, Hammond said: "I feel for the guy, it sounds like a really traumatic accident and a horrible experience. I’ve only ever wished him all the best from it."
"They went through our systems and protocols very closely and we weren’t found wanting because the fact of the matter is, sometimes, things do go wrong.
"What matters then, in terms of corporate responsibility and responsibility on the part of those running the show and asking us to do these things, is that everything is in place to mitigate the effects should things go wrong."
Following the crash, Flintoff reached a legal settlement with the BBC, reportedly worth £9million.
Hammond also commented on the crashes he was involved in during his 13 year run on the show.
"I’ve had a couple of big ones but accidents do happen," he added.
His biggest crash came in 2006, when serious head injuries endured during a crash on the show left him in a coma for two weeks.
While filming at York's Elvington airfield, the jet-powered Vampyre he was driving blew one of its tyres, causing Hammond to crash at nearly 320mph.
Flintoff crashed driving an open-top three-wheel vehicle at high speed at the Top Gear test track in Dunsfold Park Aerodrome, Surrey.
The England cricket international was left with broken ribs, facial scars and has admitted to suffering from anxiety and nightmares as a consequence.
Speaking in a clip shortly after the crash, he said: "Genuinely should not be here after what happened. This is going to be a long road back and I have only just started and I am struggling already.
"I thought I could just shake it off. I wanted to shake it off and say 'here I am, I'm alright'. But it's not been a case of that, it's been a lot harder than I thought."
Ben McCrum