Richard Hammond’s knee was ‘smashed’ after high-speed crash nearly ‘incinerated him’
Richard Hammond discusses new comedy panel show 'Brain Reaction'
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The Grand Tour star has suffered from several health issues over the years, including spells of vertigo which he most recently talked about. But Hammond is also well remembered for his mega, sometimes near-death crashes. These include multiple motorcycle accidents and a 300mph crash in a jet-fuelled car. More recently he even overturned a £2million super-car that caught fire. He has opened up about the long-lasting effects of this incident.
While filming for series two of The Grand Tour, Hammond’s electric supercar caught fire, and “smashed” his “knee to pieces”.
In 2019, he told The Mirror: “It does hurt a bit from time to time. It has metal and bolts in it.”
“It ain’t going to get any better and will need replacing one day but you put that off as long as you can because new ones don’t last very long.
“I run and am quite active so I would wear it out really quickly. I’m going to try and function with my own dodgy knee for as long as I can.
“Also, technically it’s a machine, so I’d probably crash it.”
After the crash happened, The Grand Tour production team as well as Hammond’s costars rushed over to see the damage.
What they saw startled them.
The producer from Grand Tour revealed the full extent of this catastrophic crash when talking to the Sunday Mirror.
“When they saw the wreckage on fire they thought Richard was dead. It was really bad.
“If Richard had been a few seconds slower getting out, he would have been incinerated.”
According to the producer, it was a “miracle” that Hammond survived the crash which occurred up the Hemberg Hill Climb.
Hammond was racing the electric Rimac Concept One car up the one-mile-long course that climbs 157 metres.
In the past, Hammond has been open about how his past crashes have affected his mental health – although he has since been ridiculed by colleague Jeremy Clarkson about the health issues he developed after the crashes.
Hammond developed depression as a result of the high-speed crash in 2006.
He told the Mirror his “heart goes out” to people who are also suffering from mental health issues.
Clarkson said after the 2017 crash: “Well, it’s not his fault, it is because he cannot drive and he went upside down and damaged his brain.
“But you can tell him something, and five seconds later, it is gone out of his head.”
Traumatic experiences such as car crashes are known to cause severe mental health issues, including nightmares, depression, and withdrawal from everyday activities.
Hammond revealed to the Radio Times how after the 2006 crash he was left “unable to connect emotionally” to people.
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