Hammond Still Suffers One Year After The Crash

[Monster]

Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond says he is suffering "mortally with depression" and has trouble parking his car since a high-speed crash nearly killed him.

It is the first time the BBC presenter has spoken of his struggle to recover since a damaged tire caused the jet-powered car he was driving to crash at speeds of 460km/h.

"I damaged all the complicated bits of the brain to do with processing and emotional control," Hammond said to The Sunday Times.

"I had to relearn things from scratch and I'll still have a week when I'm freaking out about something and I'll realise it's because I'm encountering a new emotional state and I have to evolve a new strategy to cope with it."

Hammond also told The Times he had damaged the parts of his brain that dealt with spatial awareness, which made parking difficult and caused problems with his memory.

"Sometimes I have trouble parking and my memory is a lot better, but the other day I forgot the pin numbers to all my cards. All of them. Completely gone," Mr Hammond said.

Hammond returned to the BBC show after only five weeks in hospital, but said that it was "much too early".

"I spent a year recovering and I'm still on the mend. All the swelling has gone down, it's as mended as it's likely to be, it seems to be more a case of rewiring itself," Mr Hammond said.

"I'm a hell of a lot more fixed than I was, but every time something happens, if I make an odd decision, you realise how broken you were."

Hammond joined the top rating show in 2002 and has been a hit with viewers.

Top Gear is shown in more than 20 countries around the world.

Hammond struggles to park after crash

 

[Bruce]

Re: Hammond still suffers 1 year after the crash

I'm not the least bit surprised. This stuff never goes away without some form of incident.

Very unfortunate.

 

[CorpusCallosum]

Re: Hammond still suffers 1 year after the crash

If he where to make a full recovery it would have happened by now. The brain is terribly unforgiving. He has suffered life long brain damage. Luckily for him he hasn't damage any of the primary cortexs of the brain just minor parts of the limbic system it seems.

I wish him well in his recovery!

 

[Monster]

Re: Hammond still suffers 1 year after the crash

Despite all this, Hammond hasn't lost his fighting spirit, he has my full respect and I wish him well.

 

[coolraoul]

Re: Hammond still suffers 1 year after the crash

That is bad news...Poor Hamster...
I'm glad it is not more severe, and does not affect him too much, because that was a huge crash...

 

[Cashmere]

Re: Hammond still suffers 1 year after the crash

Hamster is probably my favourite host on TG. He really is a great bloke. After having read that article on Senna's accident and the brain damage he sustained, I guess Hammond must consider it a miracle. I hope his problem can be mended with time.

 

[Zonda]

Re: Hammond still suffers 1 year after the crash

Hammond is still one lucky ****. It's a miracle he got away with the injuries he did.

 

[VroomVroom]

He is very lucky. I heard that he is leaving Top gear??? Is this true? if so Top gear wont be the same without him