I think its amazing the recovery Richard Hammond has made due to his accident. It has been snapped on camera him getting air lifted to Bristol Hospital!
I think its great and can't wait for him to back doing what he does best!

Who cares. I heard his injuries wouldn't have been nearly as bad if he hadn't been breaking the law by not sitting on a booster seat. Apparently he thought it wouldn't look "cool". :nono:

Do you know for sure it's Bristol, I have read articles about the transfer from a couple of sourses and neither mentioned where he was being taken, apart from "to a hospital nearer to home near Cheltenham."

Yep it has said on the news today!

Yep it has said on the news today!

Yes, its Bristol.

TV star airlifted to new hospital (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5388296.stm)

Nice one. That story has been updated since I read it before lunch. I'm glad he's recovering well. He only lives a few miles from me so hopefully I'll see him out and about in the not too distant future (not that I have done in the past, but it woud be nice to, especially after recent events). :)

SupraSteve, maybe you'll see him whizzing along in one of those mobility scooters. That'd be cool!

I can't see how they can justify the air ambulance for this role. Let's hope that someone else didn't have an accident while it was being used as a taxi.

I can't see how they can justify the air ambulance for this role. Let's hope that someone else didn't have an accident while it was being used as a taxi.That's a publicity stunt because of the money that he has unwittingly raised for it, I would think.

That's a publicity stunt because of the money that he has unwittingly raised for it, I would think.

I imagine so, but he could just have easily got a flight from Leeds to Gloucester.

I can't see how they can justify the air ambulance for this role. Let's hope that someone else didn't have an accident while it was being used as a taxi.

Because people with back or head injuries are usually transferred by air ambulance if possible as it's safer than taking them by road.

Because people with back or head injuries are usually transferred by air ambulance if possible as it's safer than taking them by road.

I am surprised if they would move someone at all if there was any such risk and, even then, not by helicopter.

I am surprised if they would move someone at all if there was any such risk and, even then, not by helicopter.

Let's blow £20k and take him by helicopter.....

I'm sure there was a bit more too it KenH

Because people with back or head injuries are usually transferred by air ambulance if possible as it's safer than taking them by road.

When they airlifted My Brother up to Sheffield from Shropshire, it was because Sheffield was the nearest place that could deal with both his Neurologocal and Orthopedic injuries. He stayed here for a week until he was able to come off the ventilator before they transferred him back to Shrewsbury in an ambulance. The Journey took over 2 hours, the journey was so bad they crew were almost in tears and they estimated that it set his progress back 3 weeks. Apparently he didn't warrant an Air Ambulance back again, Richard hammond is no better than anyone else, and I don't care how much money was raised because of his accident, He should have gone in an ambulance like everybody else has to.

Let's blow £20k and take him by helicopter.....

I'm sure there was a bit more too it KenHHe might have paid for it himself, not something everyone can do but in this circumstance it's different. Doubt if he would leave himself open to criticism for abusing it.

People say how remarkable it is that he's recovered so quickly but we haven't been told what his injuries were in any detail. We were told he was conscious most of the time so it can't have been very bad. Significant brain injury is a very ambiguous expression.

He should have gone in an ambulance like everybody else has to.So that he's set back 3 weeks? Surely it should be other way round and your brother should have gone by helicopter too. It should be fair in that everyone gets best treatment not worst. Hope your brother is ok now.

No, not so that he's set back 3 weeks too. When my brother was transferred, he could breathe for himself, through a traciometry(Sp?) and thats all he wasn'tfully concious, it took 3 months in a wheel chair and another 3 months in re-hab before he was able to walk un-assisted.

I think you are missing thr point about the transfer, he could easily have flown in another aircraft without using the Leeds Air ambulance.

TBH i doubt richard hammond had any say in how he was transported, those decisions are usually made by the medical staff.
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i used to live round the corner from Him, Bristol has some of the best facilities in the UK - it'll be the new wing of the BRI i expect - or Frenchay which is a physio centre

inface frenchay is the nearest to where we used to live

I think the man should go into the book of records for surviving a 300mph+ crash - seriously i do that's a feet in itself

I think you are missing thr point about the transfer, he could easily have flown in another aircraft without using the Leeds Air ambulance.

his family raised £175,000 for it why the hell shouldn't he? most people get a lift wihout paying a penny and you wouldn't complain if you were air lifted in it!

When they airlifted My Brother up to Sheffield from Shropshire, it was because Sheffield was the nearest place that could deal with both his Neurologocal and Orthopedic injuries. He stayed here for a week until he was able to come off the ventilator before they transferred him back to Shrewsbury in an ambulance. The Journey took over 2 hours, the journey was so bad they crew were almost in tears and they estimated that it set his progress back 3 weeks. Apparently he didn't warrant an Air Ambulance back again, Richard hammond is no better than anyone else, and I don't care how much money was raised because of his accident, He should have gone in an ambulance like everybody else has to.

Leeds to Bristol - around double the distance than from Shropshire to Sheffield. Set back by three weeks? They're estimating Richard Hammond's injury will take him around 6 months to recover from, indicating that although he's now in the clear survivability wise, he still has a long way to go. It would also suggest he probably isn't capable of using a normal public aircraft as a regular passenger.

his family raised £175,000 for it why the hell shouldn't he? most people get a lift wihout paying a penny and you wouldn't complain if you were air lifted in it!

Because that isn't what it is for. There are other air ambulances which do this sort of work and which could have taken him. The system isn't supposed to be about how much you pay or whether you are on the telly.

My gran was taken by helicopter from Aberdeen back to the Royal hallamshire in hospital. she had, had a stroke while visiting her brother in scotland. after being stabalised in aberdeen for a few days she was transfered home. i think that helicopters must be used quite regularly to transfer sick people as quickly as possible between hospitals a long way away.

My gran was taken by helicopter from Aberdeen back to the Royal hallamshire in hospital. she had, had a stroke while visiting her brother in scotland. after being stabalised in aberdeen for a few days she was transfered home. i think that helicopters must be used quite regularly to transfer sick people as quickly as possible between hospitals a long way away.

They aren't used very much for such long trips, it is faster, cheaper and safer to use a fixed wing aircraft, but in any case they are not the same helicopters. In Hamonds case he has been taken to Leeds airport by ambulance and then by the Leeds air ambulance to Gloucester. He could just have easily have taken a fixed wing air ambulance and the helicopter would have been available in case someone else does a pointless overgrown boys stunt and needs it.

But in the process of doing what you call a 'pointless overgrown boys stunt' he has indirectly raised a massive amount of cash for the air ambulance enabling thus giving them the funds for many, many more flights in the future.

Maybe they need to pick someone up or something like blood/liver/etc. from Bristol back to Leeds?

But in the process of doing what you call a 'pointless overgrown boys stunt' he has indirectly raised a massive amount of cash for the air ambulance enabling thus giving them the funds for many, many more flights in the future.

Yes, and if any other 3rd rate celebrities decided to do a similar stunt on that day to raise money for the air ambulance then it would have been in Gloucester.

Having said all that, I can reveal that I was entirely wrong and that the helicopter only took him from the hospital to Leeds/Bradford where he did take a fixed wing air ambulance, and not a helicopter, to Bristol. At the other end he took an ambulance to a hospital in Bristol. Getting the helicopter the short distance from the hospital to the local airport makes sense as it meant they could put it on the TV and raise more awareness of the fact that Leeds has an air ambulance and we don't.

And needless to say some sicko has decided it's funny to say they'll donate £50,000 to the appeal when they haven't got it. Whether you approve of Hamster using the air ambulance or not, that just isn't funny or clever :rant:

Yes, and if any other 3rd rate celebrities decided to do a similar stunt on that day to raise money for the air ambulance then it would have been in Gloucester.

Having said all that, I can reveal that I was entirely wrong and that the helicopter only took him from the hospital to Leeds/Bradford where he did take a fixed wing air ambulance, and not a helicopter, to Bristol. At the other end he took an ambulance to a hospital in Bristol. Getting the helicopter the short distance from the hospital to the local airport makes sense as it meant they could put it on the TV and raise more awareness of the fact that Leeds has an air ambulance and we don't.Ken, he is not a third rate celebrity, you just don't like anything that's to do with this incident. One minute you are saying we don't need air mbulnces, then you are providing they are in Sheffield, then it's ok so long as it's cheap single engine, then ok os it's fixed wing, make your mind up or are you just being devils advocate on the subject.

Ken, he is not a third rate celebrity, you just don't like anything that's to do with this incident. One minute you are saying we don't need air mbulnces, then you are providing they are in Sheffield, then it's ok so long as it's cheap single engine, then ok os it's fixed wing, make your mind up or are you just being devils advocate on the subject.

I've never said we don't need air ambulances, I have just pointed out that we don't get much benefit from this one, and that we could all get more benefit if they changed the outdated rules. The use of a fixed wing ambulance, or indeed a rotary wing ambulance to ferry anyone to anywhere is fine by me, as long as it doesn't take one away from its normal duties. In this case the press were saying "he was taken to a hospital nearer home in the same air ambulance that took him to hospital after his accident". This turned out to be inaccurate and my comments were based on it.