It has been revealed that Richard Hammond was feared dead by his Grand Tour co-hosts Jeremy Clarkson and James May, following his fiery crash at a Hill Climb event in Croatia. Clarkson and May both thought he had died in the smash, which happened during a filming trip to Switzerland on Saturday.
Executive producer of The Grand Tour Andy Wilman told The Sunday Mirror: “Jeremy and James both raced down to the scene of the crash as soon as it happened. When they saw the wreckage on fire they thought Richard was dead.”
“It was really bad,” Wilman explained. “They were staggered he got out of it alive, because there was just nothing left. Everyone was so relieved.”
“If Richard had been a few seconds slower getting out, he would have been incinerated.” – Andy Wilman
Hammond is currently in a stable condition in hospital, after the Rimac Concept One electric supercar he was driving plunged 30 metres down a hill, narrowly missing a house, and flipped several times before landing upside down and bursting into flames.
May and Clarkson, who were waiting at the start line, described the sound of the crash as “like a bomb going off”. Clarkson later described it as “the biggest crash I’ve ever seen” .
Wilman later added: “I spoke to Richard at the hospital and although he was very shaken, he was conscious and quite lucid. He has had X-rays and a CT scan and is being kept in for observation by the doctors. All he said about his injuries was that his knee hurt a lot, which I’m not surprised about as it now has bolts in it and it is fractured.
“His only worry was about letting his wife and family know he was OK. He has been very lucky – it’s a miracle really and certainly another one of his lives gone!” – Andy Wilman
A spokesperson for The Grand Tour said: “Richard Hammond was involved in a serious crash after completing the Hemburg Hill Climb in Switzerland in a Rimac Concept One, an electric super car built in Croatia, during filming for The Grand Tour Season 2 on Amazon Prime, but very fortunately suffered no serious injury.
“Richard was conscious and talking, and climbed out of the car himself before the vehicle burst into flames. We’d like to thank the paramedics on site for their swift response.