Freddie Flintoff has opened up about his near-fatal Top Gear crash which left him with ‘life-altering’ injuries.
The former cricket star was hospitalised and left ‘lucky to be alive’ after crashing a supercar, with a new image being released showing the aftermath of the incident for the first time.
This came in the new trailer for the upcoming Disney+ documentary Flintoff, where the former Top Gear presenter said that he ‘remembers everything about’ the crash.
The Crash
Flintoff’s near-fatal crash took place in December 2022 while filming a segment involving an open top supercar, a Morgan Super 3, capable of going 130 miles per hour.
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Despite this though, it was not a high speed crash such as Richard Hammond's that caused the injuries.
The presenter was reportedly travelling at just 22 miles per hour, but going into a corner he flipped the vehicle.
The trailer for Flintoff features the first ever footage of the crash.
The Morgan Super 3 is an open top car and Flintoff was not wearing a crash helmet, a decision from the production staff that ultimately led to the injuries.
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Flintoff was driving the supercar on Top Gear’s test track, flipping the car on the first corner leading to his face scraping along the floor.
The host was awarded £9 million in damages from the BBC for the crash, with the company saying: “We have sincerely apologised to Freddie and will continue to support him with his recovery.”
Flintoff was made to wait for 45 minutes before an ambulance arrived.
He suffered broken ribs as well as extensive injuries to his face and jaw.
What has Flintoff said?
Flintoff has not spoken in great detail about the incident prior to this upcoming documentary.
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The first real time the host spoke about the crash was in Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams, a BBC docuseries in which he runs a youth cricket team in his hometown of Preston.
Speaking about the crash on the show he said: “I genuinely should not be here after what happened.
"This will be a long road back and I’ve only just started, I’m stuck already.
“I need help, and I realise I’m not the best at asking for it. I need to stop crying every two minutes. I’ve got to look at the positives, haven’t I?
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“I’m still here, I’ve got another chance, I’ve got to go at it. I’m seeing that as how it is, a second go."
Have his Top Gear co-stars spoken out about the incident?
Chris Harris, one of Flintoff’s Top Gear co-hosts, went on a furious rant about the BBC’s part in the crash on The Joe Rogan Experience.
Harris said the segment had been ‘rushed’, and pointed to how dangerous Flintoff not wearing a helmet was.
He said: “He wasn't wearing a crash helmet. And if you do that, even at 25, 30 miles an hour, the injuries that you sustain are profound.
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"I was there on the day, I was the only presenter with Fred that day.
"I remember the radio message that I heard," he added. "I heard someone say this has been a real accident here. The car's upside down.
"So, I ran to the window, looked out and he wasn't moving. I thought he was dead. I assumed he was, then he moved."
Paddy McGuinness spoke about Flintoff late last year, commenting on his second series of Field of Dreams.
He said: “When we did Top Gear, we're that close because you're together all the time going around the world so you have a real bond.
"Seeing him do stuff like that, it's so good to see him back and better.”
When can you watch Disney+'s Flintoff?
Flintoff, the tell-all documentary about his life and the crash that changed it, will debut exclusively on Disney+.
Featuring the first footage to be shown of the crash, it will premiere on April 25.
Topics: Freddie Flintoff, Top Gear, Disney, Paddy McGuinness, TV and Film, TV, Documentaries
Michael Slavin