Tuesday, 11 September 2007

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Richard Hammond has a second high-speed crash

TV star in accident only a year after his near-fatal accident

Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has been in a second high-speed car accident only a year after the 288mph crash that nearly killed him.

This time Richard - nicknamed The Hamster - escaped serious injury when his car skidded off the track doing 100mph at Silverstone on Saturday.

The 38-year-old was trying out a £100,000 BMW with co-hosts Jeremy Clarkson and James May for the Top Gear series when the accident happened.

‘Richard was obviously thrilled to take his turn behind the wheel and was doing fine until an hour into his stint, when he suddenly came off the track,’ says an onlooker.

‘It hit a barrier at a fair old whack. The impact had wrecked the suspension and made a mess of the bodywork.’

Richard looked very pale and shaken up.

'Clarkson put an arm around him,' a source tells the Daily Mail. 'He could see memories of the jet car were flooding back and Richard needed space.'

Suzannah Ramsdale