New details have emerged from the horror car crash which left Top Gear star Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff seriously injured.
The former England cricket ace, 45, was airlifted to hospital with facial injuries and broken ribs following a collision at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey on December 13 last year.
The open-topped car flipped over and slid along the track in the terrifying accident. Flintoff was behind the wheel with a crew member in the passenger seat, The Sun revealed.
A source said: ‘The injuries were more severe as the car didn’t have a roof. It was a freak accident and somehow the car flipped over and the two men were dragged along.’
The duo were both wearing helmets – which potentially saved their lives – but still the source claimed everyone on set was rattled by the crash.
New details have emerged from the horror car crash which left Top Gear star Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff seriously injured. Flintoff is pictured in the programme’s 33rd series
Officials immediately suspended filming after the crash and began investigating the incident. BBC Studios confirmed to MailOnline last week that it won’t make decisions to resume production until the investigation has concluded. Pictured: Freddie Flintoff, Chris Harris, Paddy McGuinness
‘Very little has been revealed about the accident and bosses are keen to keep a lid on details.
‘No-one is rushing back to work any time soon… The future of the show is in serious doubt.’
Officials immediately suspended filming after the crash and began investigating the incident.
BBC Studios confirmed to MailOnline last week that it won’t make decisions to resume production until the investigation has concluded.
After the probe concludes, bosses will decide whether or not the show will carry on.
Production insiders told the Sun that studio officials also want to give Flintoff time to recover from the accident.
Similarly, it is understood many cast and crew members ‘wouldn’t feel comfortable beginning again without Freddie anyway’ because of the ‘integral role’ he plays in the show.
The insider said the accident was a ‘shock for everyone involved and very serious,’ adding: ‘Because Top Gear is such a risky production and there are lots of logistics involved with filming, it’s far more complicated than other TV series.’
Top Gear typically premieres on BBC One in late autumn.
Flintoff, 45, was airlifted to hospital with facial injuries and broken ribs following a collision at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey on December 13
Productions insiders claim Mr Flintoff was left ‘psychologically traumatised’ after the crash. He is pictured during the filming of a previous Top Gear series
Flintoff’s horror collision occurred at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in December while he was behind the wheel filming. Medics at the venue near Cranleigh rushed to his aid.
BBC previously insisted ‘all health and safety procedures’ were followed.
Chris Harris, who presents the show alongside Flintoff and Paddy McGuiness, was also at the Top Gear test track.
A review of the accident by the Health and Safety Executive, the government agency, has found no evidence of any serious failings requiring a formal investigation.
The smash comes three years after the ex-cricketer narrowly cheated death following a shock 125mph crash.
In 2019, Flintoff was heard screaming ‘I can’t stop,’ as he hurtled head-first down a runway just inches off the ground in a three-wheeled cycle car.
He had been racing his co-hosts when he realised he was running out of road and about to overshoot the finish line – seeing him spin off in a cloud of dust.
Flintoff walked away from the ‘near-death’ crash unscathed, insisting he was ‘absolutely fine’.
He said at the time: ‘I go to great lengths to make sure I do well in Top Gear drag races but, on this occasion, I went a few lengths too far. It will look more ridiculous than dangerous when you see it on TV.’
Flintoff, who was appointed England cricket captain twice, first in 2006 and 2007, retired from the game in 2010, before briefly returning to play for Lancashire four years later.
Following his illustrious sporting career he became a familiar face on television, joining various reality and panel shows and appearing as the face of supermarket brand Morrisons.
In 2010 he became a team captain on Sky’s A League Of Their Own, hosted by James Corden before being crowned king of the jungle in the first series of the Australian version of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in 2015.
Though it is understood he avoided serious physical injury in the collision, his family reportedly begged him to stay away from work while he recovers from his facial injuries
Flintoff was injured as cameras were rolling to capture his opinion of the car for the show’s review segment (stock image)
After appearing in the BBC drama Love, Lies and Records in 2017, he went on to make his musical theatre debut in Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends The Musical and hosted All Star Musicals for ITV in December the same year.
He was announced in October 2018, ahead of the show’s 27th series, as a new host of Top Gear alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.
McGuinness also cheated death after losing control of a red Lamborghini in the Yorkshire Dales in 2020.
Richard Hammond was left in a coma after a serious crash during filming in September 2006.
The ex-Top Gear presenter crashed a jet-powered Vampire dragster vehicle while travelling at 288mph, and spent five weeks in hospital recovering from his injuries.
Flintoff, who was appointed England cricket captain twice, first in 2006 and 2007, retired from the game in 2010, before briefly returning to play for Lancashire four years later
Following his illustrious sporting career he became a familiar face on television, joining various reality and panel shows and appearing as the face of supermarket brand Morrisons
In 2019, Flintoff was heard fearfully yelling, ‘I can’t stop,’ as he hurtled head-first down a runway just inches off the ground in a three-wheeled cycle car
Top Gear crashes through the years
Richard Hammond crashes a Vampire Dragster – 2006
Richard was left fighting for his life after crashing the jet-powered car while going at 288 mph as he tested the vehicle at the former RAF Elvington airbase near York. Hammond was completing a seventh and final run in the car when the front-right tyre blew-out and the dragster veered off the runway, rolled over, and Hammond was left with a traumatic head injury and was in a coma for two weeks. In the year following the crash the TV presenter returned to the show and spoke about the crash on the Jonathan Ross Show, but couldn’t remember any of it because of his injuries.
Shocking: Richard was left fighting for his life after crashing the Vampire Dragster while going at 288 mph as he tested the vehicle at the former RAF Elvington airbase
Freddie Flintoff crashes a jet trike – 2019
In September, Freddie revealed he suffered a nasty escape after a high speed crash in a jet trike during filming. The cricket star, 41, insisted he was ‘absolutely fine’ after his jet trike careered off the road during a race at the Elvington Airfield near York. Freddie reportedly careered his high speed trike off the road as he filmed the high-speed race. Crew members rushed to Freddie – who was wearing a full motorcycling suit and helmet for the scenes – but he emerged with barely a scratch.
Close call: In September last year, Freddie revealed he suffered a nasty escape after a high speed crash in a jet trike during filming
Paddy McGuinness’ back axle comes off his Pontiac Firebird – 2020
In the latest series of Top Gear, Paddy embarked on the ‘original’ American Road Trip with Freddie and Chris Harris. He arrived in their start point of Peru with a Pontiac Firebird which didn’t have a roof amongst several other problems. When the trio decided to test out their cars on a straight 1/4 mile stretch of road Paddy’s car only got a few yards before the back end of the axle came apart entirely and he was forced to abandon the car.
In the latest series of Top Gear, Paddy was forced to abandon his Pontiac Firebird after the back end of the axle came apart entirely (pictured)
Jeremy Clarkson flips over his Reliant Robin – 2010
In a now famous segment from Top Gear, former presenter Jeremy flipped over a Reliant Robin multiple times. The motorcar journalist was flipping it over to prove that the three-wheeled car could easily tip over. In his Sunday Times driving column Jeremy revealed that he had actually asked crew to tinker with the car ‘so that the poor little thing rolled over every time I turned the steering wheel’.
Flipping heck: In a now famous segment from Top Gear, former presenter Jeremy Clarkson flipped over a Reliant Robin multiple times (pictured)
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