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| TV presenter 'stable' overnight | |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond's condition showed no change overnight, said hospital authorities in Leeds. | |
| The 36-year-old suffered a "significant brain injury" when he crashed a jet-powered car at speeds of up to 300mph during filming. | |
| Doctors at Leeds General Infirmary, where he has been since Wednesday, say his condition is "stable but serious". | |
| The accident was being investigated by the BBC, police and the Health and Safety Executive. | |
| Event organisers insisted that proper safety precautions were taken. | Event organisers insisted that proper safety precautions were taken. |
| The doctors treating Hammond have said they were "reasonably optimistic" he would make a good recovery. | |
| Scene of Richard Hammond's crash at Elvington airfieldEnlarge Image | Scene of Richard Hammond's crash at Elvington airfieldEnlarge Image |
| Hammond's wife Mindy was at his bedside in the Leeds hospital and he was also visited by Top Gear co-hosts Jeremy Clarkson and James May. | Hammond's wife Mindy was at his bedside in the Leeds hospital and he was also visited by Top Gear co-hosts Jeremy Clarkson and James May. |
| Clarkson told The Sun newspaper that Hammond had smiled when Clarkson had insulted his driving skills. | Clarkson told The Sun newspaper that Hammond had smiled when Clarkson had insulted his driving skills. |
| He also said the presenter had no visible injuries following the ordeal he had been through other than a black eye. | He also said the presenter had no visible injuries following the ordeal he had been through other than a black eye. |
| The presenter had been driving a jet-powered dragster similar to the Vampire - used by Colin Fallows to set the British land speed record of 300.3mph. | The presenter had been driving a jet-powered dragster similar to the Vampire - used by Colin Fallows to set the British land speed record of 300.3mph. |
| Obsession | |
| Hammond had to be cut free from the car after eyewitnesses at the Elvington airfield near York described how he "veered off to the right" and the car's parachutes were deployed. | Hammond had to be cut free from the car after eyewitnesses at the Elvington airfield near York described how he "veered off to the right" and the car's parachutes were deployed. |
| Vampire | |
| Primetime Land Speed Engineering, which is jointly run by Fallows, organised the event. | Primetime Land Speed Engineering, which is jointly run by Fallows, organised the event. |
| A spokesman for the firm said the vehicle Hammond was driving on Wednesday "had been prepared and was being operated to the highest of standards". | A spokesman for the firm said the vehicle Hammond was driving on Wednesday "had been prepared and was being operated to the highest of standards". |
| The BBC said in a statement that it had begun an investigation into the accident and promised full co-operation with the HSE. | The BBC said in a statement that it had begun an investigation into the accident and promised full co-operation with the HSE. |
| "We continue to be concerned about [Hammond's] condition and we are keeping in touch with his family," the statement said. | "We continue to be concerned about [Hammond's] condition and we are keeping in touch with his family," the statement said. |
| Top Gear has courted controversy in the past over its big-budget car stunts, and in 1999 a group of MPs criticised the series for being "obsessed with acceleration and speed". | Top Gear has courted controversy in the past over its big-budget car stunts, and in 1999 a group of MPs criticised the series for being "obsessed with acceleration and speed". |