LONDON, Sep 22 (Reuters) Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond was moved out of intensive care today and is making ''satisfactory progress'' after suffering brain injuries in a high-speed crash.
His friend and co-host James May said he was optimistic Hammond would make a full recovery after he spoke briefly to him at his bedside.
''I've had a conversation with Hammond today -- not a long one, but it was a conversation,'' May said. ''I am not a doctor but I am his mate and I believe that, deep inside, the Hammond I know is perfectly intact.'' Hammond, 36, was seriously injured on Wednesday when he crashed a jet-powered dragster as he accelerated towards 300 mph in a feature being filmed for the BBC show.
He suffered what his doctors at Leeds General Infirmary have called a significant brain injury as a result of the accident at an RAF airfield near York.
Although doctors remain concerned about his condition they have said they are ''reasonably optimistic that he will make a good recovery.'' ''This morning he was moved out of intensive care onto a high dependency unit,'' said a spokesman at Leeds General Infirmary.
''He is making satisfactory progress.'' No further details about the presenter's condition were being released at the request of Hammond's family.
The accident is being jointly investigated by police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
An HSE spokesman said today its officers were focusing on the events that led-up to the incident -- the planning for the dragster dash, the risk assessment undertaken and whether Hammond received any special training with jet-powered cars.
''We will look at the film footage, but at the moment we are concentrating on what activity took place prior to the accident,'' he said.
Police have taken the Vampire jet-car away for forensic examination and have been looking at the state of the track. Media reports have said a burst tyre may have caused the crash.
The BBC in a statement said it was co-operating with the investigations. It could face possible prosecution if the HSE finds proper safety precautions were not taken.
Hammond had been filming at the Elvington airfield in what media reports said was an attempt to break the British land speed record of 300.3 mph, when the accident happened.
But a spokesman for the car's sponsor, auto accessory maker Thule, has said that although timers were in place to record Hammond's speed, it would not have qualified as an official record attempt.
Whatever the outcome of the investigations, it may be that Top Gear in its current format could be axed if criticism mounts about the show's daredevil stunts.
The series, which attracts over 6 million viewers in Britain as well as millions more abroad, was criticised by a group of MPs in 1999 for being ''obsessed with acceleration.'' REUTERS MS PM2133
His friend and co-host James May said he was optimistic Hammond would make a full recovery after he spoke briefly to him at his bedside.
''I've had a conversation with Hammond today -- not a long one, but it was a conversation,'' May said. ''I am not a doctor but I am his mate and I believe that, deep inside, the Hammond I know is perfectly intact.'' Hammond, 36, was seriously injured on Wednesday when he crashed a jet-powered dragster as he accelerated towards 300 mph in a feature being filmed for the BBC show.
He suffered what his doctors at Leeds General Infirmary have called a significant brain injury as a result of the accident at an RAF airfield near York.
Although doctors remain concerned about his condition they have said they are ''reasonably optimistic that he will make a good recovery.'' ''This morning he was moved out of intensive care onto a high dependency unit,'' said a spokesman at Leeds General Infirmary.
''He is making satisfactory progress.'' No further details about the presenter's condition were being released at the request of Hammond's family.
The accident is being jointly investigated by police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
An HSE spokesman said today its officers were focusing on the events that led-up to the incident -- the planning for the dragster dash, the risk assessment undertaken and whether Hammond received any special training with jet-powered cars.
''We will look at the film footage, but at the moment we are concentrating on what activity took place prior to the accident,'' he said.
Police have taken the Vampire jet-car away for forensic examination and have been looking at the state of the track. Media reports have said a burst tyre may have caused the crash.
The BBC in a statement said it was co-operating with the investigations. It could face possible prosecution if the HSE finds proper safety precautions were not taken.
Hammond had been filming at the Elvington airfield in what media reports said was an attempt to break the British land speed record of 300.3 mph, when the accident happened.
But a spokesman for the car's sponsor, auto accessory maker Thule, has said that although timers were in place to record Hammond's speed, it would not have qualified as an official record attempt.
Whatever the outcome of the investigations, it may be that Top Gear in its current format could be axed if criticism mounts about the show's daredevil stunts.
The series, which attracts over 6 million viewers in Britain as well as millions more abroad, was criticised by a group of MPs in 1999 for being ''obsessed with acceleration.'' REUTERS MS PM2133
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