Richard Hammond, a presenter of Amazon's car-themed TV show "The Grand Tour," escaped serious injury Saturday (6/10) in a fiery crash while filming in Switzerland.
Program-makers said Hammond was airlifted to hospital with a fractured knee. The Rimac Concept One electric supercar was reduced to a twisted, blackened mess after it crashed and caught fire.
The program said in a statement that Hammond crashed after completing a climb during a demonstration run at the Hemberg hill race in the east of the alpine country.
"Richard was conscious and talking, and climbed out of the car himself before the vehicle burst into flames," it said. "He was flown by air ambulance to hospital in St. Gallen to be checked over, revealing a fracture to his knee."
The show said no one else was involved, and the cause of the crash was under investigation.
Hammond, 47, hosts the adrenaline-fueled automotive show with Jeremy Clarkson and James May. The trio are the former hosts of the BBC program "Top Gear."
Clarkson tweeted that "it was the biggest crash I've ever seen and the most frightening but incredibly, and thankfully, Richard seems to be mostly OK."
Gian Andrea Rezzoli, a spokesman for St. Gallen cantonal (state) police, confirmed that a person had been injured and taken to a hospital, but referred further questions to the race organizers as the crash happened on a cordoned-off racetrack.
A spokesman for the Hemberg race organizers, Marco Moser, said the demonstration runs are intended to showcase unusual vehicles and offer spectators "something special."
"No accident is nice for us," Moser said. "But accidents do happen in high-risk sports. Of course when a car goes up in flames, then there's quite a bit more adrenaline."
"We're happy that Richard Hammond is doing well, under the circumstances," he added.
In 2006, Hammond suffered a brain injury when he crashed in a rocket-powered dragster while filming "Top Gear." He had been attempting to break the British land speed record at an airfield when the vehicle veered of the track, tumbled over and plowed into the grass. He recovered and returned to the show a few months later.
Hammond and May left "Top Gear" after Clarkson was fired for punching a producer in a dustup during filming. The trio signed with Amazon for "The Grand Tour," which is filming its second season.
Kendrick Lamar will headline the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show
Kendrick Lamar will pop out on the NFL's biggest stage next year: The Grammy winner will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans.
The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Sunday that Lamar would lead the halftime festivities from the Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9. The rap megastar, who has won 17 Grammys, said he's looking forward to bringing hip-hop to the NFL's championship game, where he performed as a guest artist with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg in 2022.
"Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date," Lamar said in a statement. "And I'll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one."
Lamar has experienced massive success since his debut album "good kid, m.A.A.d city" in 2012. Since then, he's accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album "DAMN."
The rapper's latest album "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers," was released in 2022. He was featured on the song "Like That" with Future and Metro Boomin on a track that spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year. He also garnered another hit with "Not Like Us."
Roc Nation founder Jay-Z called Lamar a "once-in-a-generation" artist and performer.
"His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision," Jay-Z said. "He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick's work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come."
Roc Nation and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins will serve as co-executive producers of the halftime show. The creative direction of Lamar's performance will be provided by pgLang.
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