Richard Hammond has marked the 20th anniversary of being in a near-fatal Top Gear crash with a candid social media post, recalling how he felt “convinced I was going to die” in the moments after the accident.
The presenter, now 56, was seriously injured when the jet-powered dragster he was driving at more than 300mph veered off a track in September 2006. Hammond pulled a lever to release a parachute, which could have slowed the car down, but it was too late and the vehicle overturned.
Writing on Instagram, Hammond said on Sunday (20 September) that he had “done my best to steer the car away from disaster, but disaster was, it seemed, my fate and having done everything I could do to avert it, I have to hand myself over to that fate.
“I didn’t scream. It wasn’t frightening. Honestly, the only way I can convey how those few, frantic, last moments felt is that it simply occurred to me that the next thing on my To Do list was to die.”
Thankfully, emergency workers managed to free Hammond from the wreckage and he was airlifted to hospital, where he was kept in a deep coma for weeks.
He continued on Instagram: “I am only here today to note this anniversary and write these words because of the work of them and any people involved in rescuing me from the shattered car, flying me to hospital and treating me there.”
Hammond then listed a number of the doctors and health workers whose efforts saved his life, adding: “These are the names of some, by no means all, of the people who collectively saved me and stuck me back together.
“I have had so many lucky career breaks, so many amazing adventures around the world and am a father to the two happiest, kindest, most wonderful, talented and loving daughters but I would have seen none of them if these people hadn’t turned up to work that day and done their job. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”
Hammond returned to the BBC show in 2007, rejoining co-hosts Jeremy Clarkson and James May just four months after the accident.
The presenter was met with huge applause as he entered the show’s studio, and the trio discussed the accident – even watching some of the footage back – before carrying on with business as usual.
Hammond has previously said the crash “did have a knock-on effect” on his health, stating in 2024 that he has suffered from memory problems. He told The Sunday Times: “I’ve discussed it since with my family. I’m 54 and my memory’s getting shaky.
Hammond, May and Clarkson continued hosting Top Gear until 2015, when Clarkson was sacked after a physical clash with a producer. His co-presenters quit in solidarity and the trio went on to launch rival show The Grand Tour on Amazon Video.
Meanwhile, the BBC relaunched Top Gear in 2016 with a variety of hosts stepping in until 2022, when the show was taken off-air after another horror crash, this time when former England cricketer Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff was at the wheel.
After a four-year hiatus, the BBC last month announced that Top Gear will return next year with an as–yet–unannounced presenting line-up.
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