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Hammond suffers 'significant brain injury'
Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has suffered a "significant brain injury" in a high-speed crash, but doctors are "reasonably optimistic he will make a good recovery".
Hammond was rushed to hospital after crashing a jet-propelled car at 280mph.
He was attempting to break the land speed record at an airfield near York when the car span out of control and crashed.
The bid was being filmed for the BBC motoring show which the 36-year-old co-presents.
Hammond was unconscious at the scene but was reported to be regaining consciousness when he arrived at Leeds General Infirmary following the incident at Elvington airfield.
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson has travelled to Leeds to visit his co-presenter.
He said: "I would just like to say how heartened Richard will be when I tell him just how many motorists and truck drivers on my way here wound down their windows to say they were rooting for him."
Dave Ogden, a safety officer at the airfield, said the crash had happened on the last of the day.
He said: "We were down there with Top Gear who were filming him trying to break the British land speed record.
"On the previous run the car had just gone over 300mph but I am not sure if it had broken the record.
"They had just done one more run and were planning to finish when it veered off to the right.
"One of the parachutes had deployed but it went on to the grass and spun over and over before coming to a rest about 100 yards from us."
He said his crew and an ambulance that was already on the airfield rushed over and found the car upside down and "dug in" to the grass.
A BBC spokeswoman said: "The incident happened quite recently and the focus of our attention is on Richard at this stage.
"We will make further details known as soon as they are available."
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