Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Freddie Flintoff ‘lucky to be alive’ after ‘nasty’ Top Gear crash, says son

‘We are all shocked but just hope he’s going to be OK,’ presenter’s son said

Jacob Stolworthy
Wednesday 14 December 2022 18:42 GMT
Comments
Top Gear: season 29 trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Freddie Flintoff is “lucky to be alive” following a crash while filmingTop Gear.

The presenter and former professional cricketer’s son Corey has shared an update on his father after the BBC confirmed he had been “injured in an accident” while filming the motoring series.

Corey, 16, said that his dad was “OK”, adding: “I’m not too sure what happened but he is lucky to be alive.”

He added to Mail Online: “It was a pretty nasty crash. It is shocking. We are all shocked but just hope he’s going to be OK.”

Flintoff, whose real name is Andrew, was reportedly filming a car review at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome, home of the Top Gear test track, when the incident happened.

A BBC spokesperson promised “more details in due course”, stating: “Freddie was injured in an accident at the Top Gear test track this morning – with crew medics attending the scene immediately.”

“He has been taken to hospital for further treatment and we will confirm more details in due course.”

Flintoff, 45, narrowly avoided serious injury in an earlier crash not long after joining Top Gear in 2019.

In a statement at the time, Flintoff said: “I’m absolutely fine and was back filming today. 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!”

Freddie Flintoff
Freddie Flintoff (Getty Images)

The airfield where the accident occured is the same one where former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond crashed in 2006 while piloting a drag racing car.

Since retiring from professional cricket in 2009, Flintoff has been a TV personality on shows, including Sky TV sports series A League of Their Own.

He presents Top Gear alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in