Car owner blames Hammond for crash

[Arwen]

Jet car owner blames Richard Hammond for the high-speed crash

The owner of the jet car involved in a high-speed crash which nearly claimed the life of Richard Hammond appears on Monday to lay the blame for the accident on the Top Gear presenter.

Dramatic footage of the crash clearly showed the car's right front tyre shredded following a blowout as Hammond tore down an airfield runway at speeds approaching 300mph.

He appeared to lose control of the dragster, which veered off the runway on to the grass before overturning.

But on Sunday's Sun newspaper, Colin Fallows suggested Hammond was to some extent to blame for the crash by "failing to adhere to the briefing".

He said: "Mr Hammond had a puncture and carried on with the tyre deflated", adding that Hammond "stood on the brakes" after the blowout.

He said: "Once these cars are in motion you don't touch the brakes. You stay on the prescribed line and should always be aware of the unexpected.

"By failing to adhere to the briefing, what would have been a controllable incident ended in a major accident."

The BBC and Mr Fallows' firm, Primetime Landspeed Engineering, may be prosecuted for failing to take due care, the paper said.

On Sunday night dramatic footage of the 288mph crash was shown for the first time.

Aired on Top Gear's first show of the new series, it revealed the 36-year-old's miraculous escape when he crashed while filming a stunt for the programme in September.


Imo thereis no way that hamster was to blame for this accident,if anyone watched Top Gear last night will have seen the accident and the tyre blowing out,how can he be at fault

[Oyabun]

I missed out i saw the commercial here on sbs but didn't really watch it, wow a crash on top gear, he has been hurt enough i recon there shouldn't be any penalties for such a thing, his just lucky to even survive isin't that punishment enough?

[stubacca68]

the only people who know exactly what was said are the owner and hamster, so although it looks like hamster is not to blame we do not have access to the technical data which should show conclusivly what happened, I hope that hamster doesn't get the blame, but at the same time i hope the owner doesn't either, IMO it was just a freak accident.

[TGLucario]

i agree....it was all a freak accident !!

[baps]

definitely agree it was just an accident. i watched it and it was.4 of a second from the tyre starting to go to it actually blowing. therefore i dont think there was anything hamster could have done about it. but as stubacca said nobody really knows what was said its between hamster and the guy whos car it was. but imo no one is to blame

[Setarime]

I totally agree with all the above comments, IMO no-one is to blame for what could have been a tragic fatal accident. When the tyre blow the car was travelling at 280mph, it is natural instinct to brake, if thats what hamster done, when something like that happens.