Richard Hammond airlifted to hospital after mountain crash

The former ‘Top Gear’ star was filming scenes for ‘The Grand Tour’ when the incident occurred

This photo issued by Freuds shows the car that was involved in a crash where Richard Hammond escaped serious injury, in Switzerland (Freuds via AP)

Richard Hammond, the former star of Top Gear, has been airlifted to hospital after being involved in a serious car crash in a Swiss mountain race, according to reports.

Swiss media 20 Minuten reported that the 47-year-old Grand Tour co-host crashed the car on a road that was closed for the Bergrennen Hemberg race.

It’s now been confirmed that Hammond suffered a fractured knee but no serious injuries. Photos from the scene show a wrecked car in flames, which were later extinguished by firefighters.

Hammond – who was in Switzerland filming scenes of Amazon series The Grand Tour alongside Jeremy Clarkson – was seriously injured in a car crash in September 2006.

Clarkson described it as the “biggest” and “most frightening” crash he had ever seen, commenting in a Twitter post: “Thankfully, Richard seems to be mostly OK.”

St Gallen police spokesperson Gian Andrea Rezzoli confirmed that Hammond was rushed to hospital by air ambulance.

A spokesperson for The Grand Tour stated: “Richard was conscious and talking, and climbed out of the car himself before the vehicle burst into flames.

“He was flown by air ambulance to hospital in St Gallen to be checked over – revealing a fracture to his knee.

“Nobody else was in the car or involved in the accident, and we’d like to thank the paramedics on site for their swift response.

“The cause of the crash is unknown and is being investigated.”