Find out the 5 most fatal crashes on Top Gear amid Freddie Flintoff's accident

Top Gear has had a slew of tragic accidents and injuries throughout its run. Now, after Freddi Flinoff’s terrible accident, it is set to go off air. Here are five major injuries that happened on the show.

Updated on Nov 22, 2023  |  07:52 PM IST |  662.3K
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Freddie Flintoff (Picture Credits: Getty Images)

Top Gear, the British motoring magazine and television entertainment show is officially going off the air after Freddie Flintoff’s tragic accident. The show focused on the examination and review of motor vehicles, primarily cars, though this was expanded after the broadcast of its previous series to include films featuring motoring-based challenges, special races, timed laps of notable cars, and celebrity timed laps on a specially designed course for the relaunched series. Since its debut, the show has received praise for its visual and presentation style, which focused on being generally entertaining to viewers, as well as criticism for the controversial nature of its subject. Despite this, the show had some terrible accidents, and here are five injuries that were the worst.

ALSO READ: What happened to Freddie Flintoff on Top Gear? Exploring reports after channel's decision to "rest the show"

Jeremy Clarkson broke his thumb

Top Gear

Jeremy Clarkson claimed the first broken bone on Top Gear back in season four. Clarkson purposely wrecked his Volvo 760 GLE into a wall during the first Cheap Car Challenge, in which he was charged with buying a functioning car for £100. Clarkson was able to walk away from the accident, but he later discovered that he had broken his thumb in the collision. An x-ray of the damage was revealed during the episode's airing.

Jeremy Clarkson crashes his Vespa

Top Gear

Clarkson was in another mishap when he fell off his Vespa while filming the Vietnam special and hit a pothole. Clarkson, a long-time opponent of all two-wheeled vehicles, was able to walk away unscathed.

Jeremy Clarkson suffered a major injury to his back

Top Gear

Jeremy's third injury was a repetitive oversteer injury that caused two discs in his back to slip. He blamed it on all of his recent power sliding in a TVR Sagaris. Episode 7 of Series 6.

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James May cracked his ribs

Top Gear

Captain Slow didn't gain enough speed on Top Gear to be involved in any major collisions, and both of his major injuries on the show occurred outside of cars.

In series 16, he was thrown to the ground while filming a Christmas special in Syria while holding onto a recovery strap as Hammond attempted to pull Clarkson's car up a slope. He may have banged his head on a rock, resulting in bleeding and a concussion. May compared his mishap to that of his co-star, saying, "[Hammond] bashed his head on the whole of Yorkshire. I just landed on a stone."

James May was also hurt in 2014 when he was thrown from a horse while filming the Patagonia Special.

Rich Hammond's near-fatal death experience


When The Hamster was involved in a dramatic, near-fatal crash in a vampire dragster on Top Gear in 2006, he set the bar for significant injuries. When the jet-powered car ruptured a tire, rocketed off the road, and crashed upside down, Rich Hammond was traveling at over 300mph.

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During the crash, Hammond's helmet became lodged in the ground, knocking him unconscious; he had to be cut free from the truck. He remained in the hospital for five weeks, two of which he spent in a medically induced coma.

Top Gear has had a series of crashes, yet Freddie Flintoff’s accident was the one that made the show go off-air. Freddie Flintoff was the latest Top Gear celebrity to be involved in a big accident while filming last December, and he was the second most serious after Hammond's. Flintoff was driving a motorized tricycle around the test track when he crashed at 124 mph, overturning the contraption.

He was flown to the hospital and treated for face injuries and broken ribs. Following an inquiry into the collision, the BBC paused filming on the latest season of Top Gear, and Flintoff has stated that he will not return to the show.

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ALSO READ: How much will Freddie Flintoff earn from Top Gear? Exploring reports of settlement after host's accident as show goes off air

FAQs

What is Freddie Flintoff net worth?
His net worth is USD 20 Million as per Celebrity Net Worth

Is Freddie Flintoff a cricket player?
He was a cricket player, retiring from International Cricket in 2009.

When did Andrew Flintoff join Top Gear?
He joined Top Gear in 2019, and was part of the show until December 2022 until his accident.

Credits: WatchMojoUk/YouTube
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Avnii Bagaria is a Entertainment Journalist who is also a music and hollywood enthusiast. She has an experience of

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