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RICHARD HAMMOND Recovery Sept 22 2006
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Updated: Friday September 22, 2006 - Top Gear Presenter out of Intensive Care
RICHARD HAMMOND, the Top Gear presenter who suffered a brain injury in a 300mph crash, was described by his colleague James May as “perfectly intact” after being moved out of intensive care yesterday. Mr May was supposed to have been driving the dragster but was replaced by Mr Hammond because he had a diary clash.
Mr May, a co-presenter of the BBC motoring series, visited Mr Hammond, 36, in hospital and had a short conversation with him. “Doctors are cautiously optimistic about his recovery because doctors have to be,” he said. “I’m not a doctor but I am his mate and I believe that deep inside the Hammond I know is perfectly intact.”
Richard Hammond - cool dude
Consultants treating Mr Hammond said that his condition was improving after Wednesday’s accident, which took place during an attempt to break the British land speed record in a jet-powered car at Elvington airfield, near York. A spokesman for Leeds General Infirmary said: “Richard Hammond is making satisfactory progress.”
His status has been downgraded to “stable” from “serious but stable” and he has been moved from intensive care to a high-dependency unit. The BBC announced yesterday that it was postponing the new series of The Best of Top Gear, which was due to start on October 1 as a precursor to the series for which Mr Hammond was filming.
Police and Health and Safety Executive inspectors were continuing to investigate the crash to discover what went wrong and who, if anybody, is to blame. Under health and safety laws the BBC could be prosecuted and given an unlimited fine if it is found not to have taken the necessary steps to ensure Mr Hammond’s safety.
A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said that inspectors were looking at the BBC’s planning and preparation of the record attempt and that the police were examining Vampire, the dragster Mr Hammond was driving.
“It will certainly be at least a matter of weeks before the investigation is concluded. You have to take into account the uniqueness of the incident. I don’t even think we have anything to base the time frame on,” he said.
The inspectors will call on experts to help them to determine whether mechanical failure was an element in the crash. If the BBC is found not to have taken all reasonable steps to prevent the crash, the Health and Safety Executive could decide to prosecute. Last year inspectors brought about 700 cases to court under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. About 10,000 enforcement orders were issued.
The spokesman emphasised, however, that enforcement orders were used largely as a preventive measure, while prosecutions were almost always the result of accidents that had already taken place. The spokesman said that the inspectors’ decision to prosecute would depend firstly on whether they believed that the BBC did not take adequate steps to prevent the accident and, if adequate steps were not taken, on the level of negligence. The BBC’s safety procedures, the level of training received by Mr Hammond and the corporation’s choice of contractors are all likely to come under the inspectors’ spotlight.
A group of motoring enthusiasts have raised almost £55,000 in donations and gift aid for the helicopter ambulance that took Mr Hammond to hospital. Apparently, well-wishers on the Piston Heads.com internet forum decided that sending flowers was “girly”, and instead set up a webpage: www.justgiving.com/phrichardhammond so that well-wishers could contribute to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity.
The ambulance flew Mr Hammond to hospital in less than 12 minutes, as opposed to the 45 minutes it would have taken by road, undoubtedly improving Richard's chances. The group said that they initially hoped to cover the cost of Mr Hammond’s flight to hospital, but the fundraising target has now been updated to the equivalent of 151 flights
Richard Hammond - a very brave man
All of us here at Bluebird Electric are relieved to learn Richard appears to be making a speedy recovery. Congratulations are due to the emergency services who played such a vital role in ensuring medical attention was received at the earliest opportunity. Nice one. NK
LINKS
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Richard Hammond - getting better thank goodness
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The Vampire at Bruntingthorpe in 2006
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