# Top Gear presenter critically ill **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 20, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-presenter-critically-ill/373475 "2006-09-20T21:35:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-presenter-critically-ill/373475/21 "2006-09-22T08:27:54Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] Amid the confusion of reading numerous reports, I’ve found suggestions that the airfield was the one where the current record was set. And that he wasn’t attempting to break it (at least officially). [/QUOTE] Indeed, reading further it seems there was a problem with the parachute the car deployed to brake that dragged it off the field. Best of luck to him, I wasn’t too sure how to interpret the reports that he was brain damaged but would recover. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-presenter-critically-ill/373475/22 "2006-09-22T09:18:34Z")
‘Brain injury’ (which is what they’re calling it, rather than 'brain _damage_) _might_ be describing some kind of trauma that has, for example, caused swelling or concussion that may impair function at the moment, but might not be actually destroying the brain - meaning that recovery of function is _possible_ when the condition settles down. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-presenter-critically-ill/373475/23 "2006-09-22T10:19:25Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] Richard Hammond probably will have been up for anything. Just hope he’s OK. [/QUOTE] I’ve heard that James May was due to be doing this segment for Top Gear, but Hammond took over at the last minute (for reasons that escape me at the moment). May must be experiencing an interesting mix of emotions at the moment… Grim ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-presenter-critically-ill/373475/24 "2006-09-22T11:13:55Z")
Captain Slow was going to take a car above Her Majesty’s speed limit?! :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-presenter-critically-ill/373475/25 "2006-09-22T11:24:27Z")
Encouraging news - they’ve moved him out of Intensive Care and downgraded him from “serious but stable” to “stable”. Jeremy Clarkson says that he looks OK apart from a black eye. No news on the teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-presenter-critically-ill/373475/26 "2006-09-22T11:57:13Z")
If he makes a full recovery and returns to work (and I really hope he does), every time he expresses _any_ opinion on _anything_ (the ‘cool wall’ for example), Clarkson is going to rip the piss out of him to the effect that the opinion is the result of a blow to the head. I can hardly wait. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Doris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Sir\_Doris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Doris)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-presenter-critically-ill/373475/27 "2006-09-22T12:58:37Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] If he makes a full recovery and returns to work (and I really hope he does), every time he expresses _any_ opinion on _anything_ (the ‘cool wall’ for example), Clarkson is going to rip the piss out of him to the effect that the opinion is the result of a blow to the head. I can hardly wait. [/QUOTE] Indeed. I do hope he makes it back, Hammond was the one that got me into Top Gear. In the meantime the B3TA front page is doing a good job of taking the piss in a Clarkson style. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-presenter-critically-ill/373475/28 "2006-09-22T14:10:55Z")
[QUOTE=Pushkin] Ironically, the BBC is now showing Mythbusters and the JATO car was on just last night :smack: [/QUOTE] Of course the Mythbusters didn’t actually dare to ride in the rocket car. They wimp out on a lot of stuff but then again I would too… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-presenter-critically-ill/373475.md?page=1)