Richard Hammond reflects on 2006 crash on 20th anniversary

Richard Hammond has publicly reflected on the 20th anniversary of his near-fatal 2006 Top Gear crash, describing his thoughts during the accident and crediting the emergency workers and medical staff who saved his life. The television presenter, now 56, shared the detailed account in a social media post on Sunday, September 20, 2026. Hammond was driving a jet-powered Vampire dragster at over 300 mph during filming for the BBC motoring programme when a front tyre suffered a structural failure. The vehicle veered off the track at the former RAF Elvington airbase near York and overturned. In his post, Hammond recalled the moments before impact, stating he had pulled the lever to release the parachute and tried to steer away from disaster. "It simply occurred to me that the next thing on my To Do list was to die," Hammond wrote. He noted that he did not scream and that the experience was not frightening, but rather a moment of acceptance. Emergency responders freed Hammond from the wreckage, and he was airlifted to hospital. He was placed in a deep coma for two weeks due to brain swelling and sustained a frontal lobe injury.