He was severely injured in a car crash while filming for Top Gear on September 20, 2006 at the former RAF Elvington airfield near York. He was driving a rocket powered dragster capable of travelling at 280mph in an attempt to break the land speed record for England. He is being treated at Leeds General Infirmary and is currently in a critical condition. [2] BBC reports suggest that he was taken from the crash scene unconscious and taken to the specialist neurological unit at Leeds General Infirmary. The ambulance service is reported to have said Richard began to regain conciousness upon arrival at the hospital. This has conflicted with witness statements given to the BBC from Top Gear production crew, which stated that Hammond walked away from the crash and was helped into an awaiting helicopter. [3]
It is probable that he was driving the same car mentioned in the following BBC article. [4]