Hamster Crash Report.

[F Body]

Following the Top Gear crash that nearly killed host Richard Hammond the HSE has found no grounds for prosecution.

The Health and Safety Executive spotted failings in "risk assessment and the procurement of services from others".

But the HSE also identified safety precautions in place that "almost certainly saved Mr Hammond's life".

A BBC spokesman said the lessons from this and its own forthcoming report would be applied across the BBC.

Richard Hammond crashed while driving a jet-powered car at speeds up to 300mph at Elvington airfield, near York, last September.



"The immediate cause of the accident was a catastrophic failure of the Vampire's front offside tyre at 288mph on the seventh high-speed run of the day," reported the HSE.

It said that the tyre had been damaged on the previous run, but that this was not visible immediately before Mr Hammond drove again.

The HSE found that Mr Hammond's life had "almost certainly" been saved by safety features including:

   * the build of the Vampire car, which survived the crash intact
   * the "driver restraint arrangements", and choice of crash helmet worn by Mr Hammond
   * emergency services on site

[Roadkill]

Good news, then.

It was an accident.  Simple as that.

[Ponti]

Quoting: F Body

"The immediate cause of the accident was a catastrophic failure of the Vampire's front offside tyre at 288mph on the seventh high-speed run of the day," reported the HSE.

It said that the tyre had been damaged on the previous run, but that this was not visible immediately before Mr Hammond drove again.

OK so it was an accident!!!!

  If they had the film footage to see the damage happen to the tyre on the previous run for the report........
WTF didn't they look at it before the fateful run  Most race teams film their runs for id'ing problems or such like, they then look at them before another run so they would have seen the damage and prevented the accident.

  Just my view anyway. But then again I don't like the HSE as they seamed to sweep my works accident under the carpet.