Jeremy Clarkson and James May thought Richard Hammond ‘had died’ in horror crash
JEREMY Clarkson and James May thought Richard Hammond "had died" in Saturday's horror crash in Switzerland.
Richard was driving a Rimac supercar, which can reach speeds of 220mph, around a tight bend when he lost control and the car plunged 100ft down a hill, flipped a number of times before landing upside down.
The motor burst into flames just seconds after Richard managed to crawl out of the smashed window.
Clarkson and May ran towards the car, convinced their longtime pal was dead inside but found him alive mere yards away from the flaming car
The presenter, who nearly died in a car crash in 2006, is now being treated in hospital with serious injuries – the worst of which is a fractured knee.
A video shows the TV star left the road and mounted a grassy verge where he managed to be pulled from the burning vehicle.
He was attending the famous Hemburg time trial in St Gallen, Switzerland, when he suffered the crash.
Andy Wilman, executive producer of The Grand Tour told the : "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.
“They were staggered he had got out of it alive, because there was just nothing left. Everyone is so relieved. If Richard had been a few seconds slower getting out, he would have been incinerated.”
Andy said he had spoken to Richard in hospital and that the presenter was "very shaken" but also "conscious and quite lucid".
He added: “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!”
Jeremy also took to Twitter to say the the crash was incredibly "frightening", writing: "It was the biggest crash I've ever seen and the most frightening but incredibly, and thankfully, Richard seems to be mostly OK.".
Hammond, 47, had taken a smiling selfie with a fan just moments before he cheated death in the horror smash.
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The Sun Online was the first to report the crash and a source told us: “Richard is conscious but very shaken.
“He is currently being treated in hospital for a fractured knee and having the once over. It’s quite incredible he’s come away from this with nothing more serious quite frankly.
“The crash was really bad. The car completely flipped and then burst into flames.
"There was real concern for Richard but the emergency services were quickly on hand and he’s a very lucky boy.
"It brought back horrendous memories of the 2006 crash for those who witnessed it."
An Amazon spokeswoman told The Sun: "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.
"He was flown by Air Ambulance to hospital in St Gallen to be checked over revealing a fracture to his knee.
"Nobody else was in the car or involved in the accident, and we'd like to thank the paramedics on site for their swift response. The cause of the crash is unknown and is being investigated.”
It comes just three months after The Sun revealed how he was left unconscious after falling off a motorbike while filming the car show.
He lay unconscious in the road in remote Mozambique, miles from medical help.
And 11 years ago Richard, affectionately nicknamed Hamster, almost died in a 288mph collision on BBC2 show Top Gear.
Dad-of-two Richard was in a coma for two weeks in 2006 after the jet-powered car he was piloting for Top Gear crashed.
Its right tyre blew as he tried to set a land speed record at RAF Elvington near York.
He was airlifted to hospital in Leeds. Richard later revealed he suffered depression, paranoia and memory loss due to brain damage.
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