Richard Hammond escaped 120mph horror smash during Grand Tour filming by leaping from car before it erupted into fireball

  • Hammond undid his seatbelt and 'flung himself out' of the £2million electric car
  • The 47-year-old's quick reactions 'saved his life' in the crash, sources claimed
  • He has had five pins put in knee and will stay in Swiss hospital for another day 
  • James May recalled seeing medics dragging 'limp' Hammond away from crash    
  • Shocking images show the burnt-out wreckage of vehicle laying upside down

Richard Hammond reportedly escaped his horrific 120mph crash by leaping out of the supercar before it erupted into a massive fireball.

The fast-thinking TV presenter undid his seat belt and flung himself out of the £2million electric car just moments before it burst into flames, sources claimed.

An insider said the 47-year-old's quick reactions 'saved his life' in the terrifying crash, which happened during filming for his Amazon show, The Grand Tour, in Switzerland.

Lucky man: Richard reportedly escaped his horrific 120mph crash by leaping out of the supercar before it erupted into a fireball. Pictured, showing X-rays of his knee after the smash

Richard Hammond reportedly escaped his horrific 120mph crash by leaping out of the supercar before it erupted into a fireball. Pictured, showing X-rays of his knee after the smash

Shocking: Amazon later released this image showing the burnt-out wreckage of the car laying upside down on a hill

This is the burnt-out wreckage of the car laying upside down on a hill after it flew off the road at more than 120mph

'It was like something in a film,' a source told The Sun.

'Had he been in the car when it burst into flames he probably wouldn't be here. His quick reactions saved his life.'

Richard had five metal pins put into his left knee after he smashed it in the crash.

It is thought that the host, whose wife Mindy, 46, is at his bedside, will be able to leave hospital in St Gallen in 24 hours after observation.

It comes as James May joked that he tried to 'do the world a favour' by pulling the plug on Richard's hospital machines following his terrifying super car crash - 'but he was still working.'

May shared the lighthearted moment with his The Grand Tour co-star at a Swiss hospital before revealing there were a few moments when he genuinely thought Hammond was dead.

He recalled driving up to the scene of the crash, which happened during filming for their Amazon show, and seeing paramedics dragging Hammond's 'limp' body away from the wreck of his car.

May told Drive Tribe: 'I cannot remember experiencing such a debilitating sense of shock and pure incomprehension as this. 

Co-star James May posted this photograph of him clutching a plug to Hammond's hospital machinery with the caption: 'I did the world a favour and pulled the plug out, but he was still working'

Co-star James May posted this photograph of him clutching a plug to Hammond's hospital machinery with the caption: 'I did the world a favour and pulled the plug out, but he was still working'

Clarkson was only informed that Hammond was hurt when Grand Tour colleague James May screamed: 'Hammond¿s in there'
Hammond's Grand Tour colleague James May was seen walking into a St Gallen hospital on Sunday as visited Hammond in the hours after the crash

Clarkson was only informed that Hammond was hurt when Grand Tour colleague James May, pictured visiting him in hospital yesterday, screamed: 'Hammond's in there'

'I happened to arrive as the marshals pulled him hurriedly away from the newly burning car because they thought it might explode. 

'But what I saw was the remains of Hammond being hauled from the burning wreckage, like some hideous vintage film clip from Formula One.

'It's important to see the whole scenario, and not just rely on a snapshot. I thought he'd bought the farm, he's actually broken a bone in his knee and needs a small pin putting in it.'

Hammond's electric supercar burned at 1,500 degrees and needed hosing down for 8 hours

Pictures from the scene showed a car in flames alongside a road in St. Gallen before the blaze was extinguished by firefighters

Pictures from the scene showed a car in flames alongside a road in St. Gallen before the blaze was extinguished by firefighters

The inventor of Richard Hammond's super car was forced to reveal the secrets of the £2 million prototype to salvage experts before the charred remains could be removed from the crash site.

The salvage operation was 'complicated and dangerous', according to Swiss engineers.

Before safe removal, the Croatian manufacturer of the Rimac Concept One car had to explain the secret mechanics.

Markus Erni, of Autostrassenhilfe Schweiz, who was involved in the salvage operation, said: 'Since it was a prototype, we had to speak to the manufacturers and gain their confidence so that they could give us the details of where the various units are installed.

'The co-operation was very good and decisive which enabled a safe removal.'

He added: 'The danger of a crash involving an electric car is that the rescuers cannot perceive the dangers with their senses. Electricity cannot be heard or smelt like fuel. The danger is therefore much higher for the rescuers. It's complicated and dangerous.'

The car burned at temperatures of 1200 to 1500 degrees. It was hosed with cold water for eight hours before a tow truck could safely remove it.

The former Top Gear presenter crashed in Hemberg, Switzerland, on Saturday afternoon.

He managed to escape from the burning car before it erupted into a fireball. 

Emil Schmid, from the salvage firm which removed the vehicle, said: 'For the bystander it may have looked as if a few clowns were standing around the wreck for hours without doing anything. But the built-in energy packages in an electric car continue to work after a crash and keep the temperatures very high.'

He said: 'I had never had such an expensive wreck on my truck.'

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Co-star Jeremy Clarkson also told how his knees 'went to jelly' when he realised that his friend had flown off the road at 120mph 'in the biggest crash I have ever seen'.

Hammond, 47, who fractured his knee, is lucky to be alive after his latest brush with death which happened on Saturday.

Clarkson was one of the first people at the scene and was sure his friend had been killed when a witness said 'a body' had been pulled from the burning wreckage. 

He said: 'I genuinely thought he was dead. I can feel it now; the coldness. My knees turning to jelly. It was Hammond who'd crashed'. 

Jeremy Clarkson was the first to explain what he saw on Saturday. 

He had been driving the same route in a Lamborghini Aventador S and was enjoying a glass of wine 'when I heard on the radio that James and Richard were going up the hill one more time'.

He then hitched a ride to the finish line to meet up with James May and Hammond when a producer revealed there had been a crash - but was informed it was a Lamborghini and not Hammond's electric-powered sports car.

Writing for Drivetribe he said: 'I saw a plume of smoke. Fearful that the 'off' may be quite serious, I urged the driver to get to the top of the hill as quickly as possible.

'I arrived maybe 30 seconds later and leaped out to see an inferno raging, maybe a quarter of a mile away, at the bottom of a hill. 

'And as I stood there, waiting for news, it dawned on me that the burning car was not yellow, as the Aventador was. It was white. Hammond's Rimac had been white. And I can feel it now; the coldness. My knees turning to jelly. It was Hammond who'd crashed.

'I was joined at this point by James. He was in a right old state, his arms waving frantically, his eyes wide. 'Hammond's in there,' he was screaming.

'Then came news from a nearby marshal that he wasn't. That he'd got out before the fire started. And that 'his body' – that what they said – was behind a screen at the bottom of the hill.

'I could see the screen. I could see the paramedics behind it. I couldn't see Hammond. I didn't want to see him. Not after a crash that big. He wasn't going to be a pretty sight, that's for sure.

'Our security man is made of sterner stuff and set off down the hill like a racing goat. I watched him arrive at the scene. I watched him intently. I saw him lift his walky talky and I heard him say 'It's all right fellas. He winked at me'.'

Clarkson said the rest of the details would be left to Hammond 'when the lucky sod feels up to it'.

James May also described his fear that his friend was dead.

He wrote: 'I knew, in the blossoming, white-hot ball of pure, sickening horror forming in my heart, that it must be Hammond's Rimac.

'The next thing that registered, as I stopped and scrambled from the car, was a pair of marshals dragging a limp body by the wrists, away from the wreck and down to the gravel path at the bottom of the hill. And I knew that must be Richard Hammond.' 

May has visited his friend in a St Gallen hospital since the accident.

He said jokingly: 'He's actually broken a bone in his knee and needs a small pin putting in it; in Switzerland, the world centre of skiing injuries and doing things properly.

'Far from being dead, he'll actually come home slightly improved over the Brummie original'. 

Richard Hammond, 47, is lucky to be alive after yet another high speed crash which Jeremy Clarkson was convinced had killed him

Richard Hammond, 47, is lucky to be alive after yet another high speed crash which Jeremy Clarkson was convinced had killed him

Hammond apologized to his wife and daughters, as former Top Gear presenter James May held up a book titled 'The Idiot Brain', suggesting Hammond was an 'idiot'

Hammond apologized to his wife and daughters, as former Top Gear presenter James May held up a book titled 'The Idiot Brain', suggesting Hammond was an 'idiot'

Last night the former Top Gear star apologised to his wife and daughters from his hospital bed a day after his horror crash in Switzerland.

Hammond explained his injuries and thanked former Top Gear presenter James May for 'sneaking gin in' to the hospital for him in a lighthearted video on Drivetribe from his Swiss hospital bed on Sunday.

The TV presenter, 47, who sustained brain injuries after a 288mph rocket car accident in 2006, was airlifted to hospital after flipping a £2million electric supercar which then burst into flames as he filmed his new Amazon show The Grand Tour.

But he miraculously escaped the fireball horror on Saturday with little more than a fractured knee and was 'conscious and talking' after freeing himself from the vehicle.

'Yes, it's true - I binned it. Again. I'm here, in a hospital in Switzerland, this is my knee, that they're going to turn from this into this,' he said in a video, filmed by May, from the hospital as he showed off X-Rays of his knee.

'They're giving me a Swiss Army knee hopefully later today,' he added. I'd like to thank all of the medical professionals who got me by air ambulance from the crash to this hospital and dealt with me every since.

'I'd like to say thank you as well to James May, who smuggled gin in for me last night. I shouldn't have said that out loud.

'And most importantly, sorry to my wife, Mindy, and my daughters, Izzy and Willow. I'm sorry for being such a colossal idiot. More news later!'

Hammond's Grand Tour colleague May was seen walking into a St Gallen hospital as he visited Hammond in the hours after the crash.

May and and fellow colleague Jeremy Clarkson were 'staggered' he survived because there was 'nothing left' of the vehicle.

Horror crash: Richard was treated in hospital after flipping a £2million supercar which then burst into flames as he filmed his new Amazon show

Richard Hammond is being treated in hospital after flipping a £2million supercar which then burst into flames as he filmed his new Amazon show

Footage: This is the moment the former BBC star crashed in the supercar as he and co-hosts filmed their new show

This is the moment the former BBC star crashed in the supercar as he and co-hosts filmed their new show

Closed off: The crash is reported to have happened on a road that was closed for the Bergrennen Hemberg race

The crash is reported to have happened on a road that was closed for the Bergrennen Hemberg race

Shocking: On 10 June 2017, Richard suffered a near-fatal crash in the Swiss countryside - his vehicle appeared to have rolled down a hill following the crash in Switzerland

The vehicle appeared to have rolled down a hill following the crash in Switzerland

Richard was pictured at the end of last month arriving for dinner at the Ivy Chelsea Garden with his wife Amanda Etheridge as well as his daughters Willow and Isabella

Richard Hammond is pictured at the end of last month arriving for dinner at the Ivy Chelsea Garden with his wife Amanda Etheridge as well as his daughters Willow and Isabella

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Grand Tour executive producer Andy Wilman said: '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.'

Pictures from the scene showed the Rimac Concept One car in flames alongside a road in St. Gallen before the blaze was extinguished by firefighters.

Grand Tour producer Amazon later released images showing the burnt-out wreckage of the car laying upside down on a hill. 

The crash is reported to have happened on a road that was closed for the Bergrennen Hemberg race. 

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.

'He was flown by Air Ambulance to hospital in St Gallen to be checked over revealing a fracture to his knee.

The presenter was driving a Rimac Concept One, an electric super car built in Croatia

The presenter was driving a Rimac Concept One, an electric super car built in Croatia

Attending the scene: Firefighters were pictured putting out the burning wreckage of the car

Firefighters were pictured putting out the burning wreckage of the car

A source said: 'The crash was really bad. The car completely flipped and then burst into flames'

A source said: 'The crash was really bad. The car completely flipped and then burst into flames'

'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.'

In a post on Twitter on Sunday morning, F1 presenter Sasha Martinengo told his Twitter followers the pair had spoken and that Hammond required surgery.

He posted: 'Hi all. Got a msg from @RichardHammond. He is fine. He has a broken leg and needs knee surgery. He might fly home for the procedure.' 

Grand Tour co-star Jeremy Clarkson tweeted: 'It was the biggest crash I've ever seen and the most frightening but incredibly, and thankfully, Richard seems to be mostly OK.'

A source told The Sun: '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.'

A statement from the organisers of the Bergrennen, which translates as mountain race, said: 'On Saturday, an accident took place at the Bergrennen Hemberg in a demonstration run between the training courses.'

'The vehicle left the track and landed in the meadow,' it said, adding that rescuers were 'very fast' to reach the scene.

'The fire brigade extinguished the burning car quickly,' they said.

The crash, pictured right, comes just weeks after Mr Hammond, pictured left, toppled off his motorcycle and banged his head while riding through a 'remote' part of Mozambique

Filming: Mr Hammond was earlier pictured filming the second series of The Grand Tour - his new Amazon show

Mr Hammond was earlier pictured filming the second series of The Grand Tour - his new Amazon show

Happy to help: Mr Hammond took a selfie with fan moments before the crash took place and suffered just a knee fracture

Mr Hammond took a selfie with fan moments before the crash took place and suffered just a knee fracture

After the news broke, several fans took to Twitter to voice their concern and send him their best wishes, while others highlighted his unbeatable fearlessness.

Twitter user JGA wrote to his co-stars Mr Clarkson and Mr May and said: 'My best wishes to @RichardHammond. Hope he is ok. Nothing puts him off – I know he'll be getting back in a car soon.'

Vitesh Patel said: 'Get well @RichardHammond, don't want to speculate what happened, just get better!'

Tommy Jack wrote: 'Hope Richard Hammond is ok, looked proper nasty crash.'

Meanwhile, an NHS worker had to deny posting a message on Facebook 'wishing death' to injured ex-Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond.

A comment from the account of Cheryl Anne Phillips was posted on a news story about Mr Hammond's horror car crash saying 'Hope he dies that's not the first time he's used NHS money to save his life'.

However Ms Phillips, who is believed to work for Bristol North NHS Trust, yesterday denied posting the comment, and claimed her Facebook her account had been hacked.

Bristol North NHS Trust confirmed they had launched and investigation into the comments.

Shocked: Concerned fans flocked to Twitter after the accident

The nasty comment sparked an online outcry, including calls for the NHS to give her the sack.

Facebook user John Wynn wrote: 'Get well soon Richard, hope the woman that put this comment gets her P45, and to think she works for the NHS, and we pay her wages.I wonder how many more people she wishes this way !!!!!!!!'.

Claire Inker wrote: '£northbritoltrust your employing members of staff that make vile comments wishing some one dead then they should not be working in a hospital'.

Others pointed out that when Mr Hammond was left comatose ten years ago following a crash, he used a private hospital, the Spire, in Bristol.

One person added: 'Point number one the NHS do not operate in Switzerland, point number 2 you must be sick in the head to wish another person dead. You should go and crawl back under the rock from which you came.'

A spokesman for the North Bristol NHS Trust said: 'We do not condone comments of this nature and we will be investigating further.

'We thank social media users who have brought this to our attention and wish Mr Hammond well with his recovery.'  

In 2006 Hammond nearly died after crashing a jet powered car at 288 mphthe pair discussed how the car narrowly missed some houses while flipping down the hillside.

In 2006 Hammond nearly died after crashing a jet powered car at 288 mph

He was driving a jet-powered Vampire dragster when the front-right tyre burst in 2006

He was driving a jet-powered Vampire dragster when the front-right tyre burst in 2006

Crash: It led to the vehicle to spin out of control during a stunt at Elvington airfield near York

It led to the vehicle to spin out of control during a stunt at Elvington airfield near York

The crash comes just weeks after Mr Hammond toppled off his motorcycle and banged his head while riding through a 'remote' part of Mozambique. 

In a blog post, he wrote: 'It's true, I did fall off a motorbike whilst filming recently for The Grand Tour in Mozambique.

'I banged my head, yes, along with pretty much everything else apart from my left thumb, which remains un-bruised.

'Can't tell you more yet about the how and why of it; that's all for later in the year on the show. As for injuries; well put it this way, I don't think I can get a book out of it.'

In 2006 Hammond nearly died after crashing a jet powered car at 288 mph and slipped into a coma during an attempt to break the British land speed record for the BBC show.

He was driving a jet-powered Vampire dragster when the front-right tyre burst leading the vehicle to spin out of control during a stunt at Elvington airfield near York.

Hammond suffered serious head injuries and he was in hospital for five weeks before returning home to his wife Mindy and their two daughters, Isabella and Willow.

The TV presenter, nicknamed 'Hamster', later told how he struggled 'mortally with depression' and spoke regularly to a psychiatrist following the incident.

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