The men who saved Richard Hammond
Richard Hammond has roared back from near-death and can't wait to get back behind the wheel, according to a story in today's Mirror (see link below).
The man who crashed at 288 mph at Elvington airfield just a month ago is itching to get involved in Top Gear's stunts again -- the show will return in January -- although he wrote in his Mirror newspaper column that he'd probably steer clear of jet cars for the moment.
He said that the obsession with safety prior to the bid on the British land speed record saved his life -- and that he is still alive is testament to the fact that all precautions were taken.
What also helped is the swift reaction of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance organisation which whisked him to hospital in just 12 minutes. The appeal for the YAA charity, an initiative of PHers Roger Tattersall and Alex Goss, has raised over £178,000, an amount that soared way above original expectations of maybe a few thousand pounds.
The future
Hammond is currently hiding in a mountain cottage with his family and is supposed to be sleeping as much as possible to allow his brain to heal. However, he said that lying in is not his style.
"Even as a teenager I was out of bed early. The worst thing was being told I couldn't drink for a while", he told the Mirror.
"I have dreamed about the crash and I have had nightmares - experiencing something like that opens your brain up to big, scary stuff. I feel weird. It's been the hardest thing I've ever had to do but I'm all right, I'm getting better. It's a lengthy process but basically it's because of the amount of bruising more than permanent damage."
Get well soon, Richard, from all of us here on PistonHeads.
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