Andrew Flintoff's wife 'told to expect the worst' after cricket legend's horror Top Gear smash
15 September 2023, 12:32
Andrew Flintoff's wife was warned to expect the worst as doctors battled to save the England cricket legend after his car crash.
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Flintoff, 45, was driving a car while filming a segment for Top Gear in December when the vehicle flipped, leaving him with life-threatening injuries including fractured ribs and facial injuries.
He was not wearing a helmet and the car had no airbags. He was dragged along the tarmac face down.
No ambulance arrived at the aerodrome where the segment was being filmed for 45 minutes.
Surgeons then battled for four hours to keep the former England cricket captain alive and stitch him back together.
Read more: What happened in Freddie Flintoff's crash and what will cricket legend do next?
His wife Rachael was told to expect the worst, the Mail reported. The cricket legend's young son also admitted he was "lucky to be alive".
Flintoff quit the show and has kept a very low profile in the months since. His former England team-mate Steve Harmison said he was still covering his face until six weeks ago.
He appeared at two England cricket games last week, after taking up a mentoring role with the side.
His scars from the crash and his subsequent operations remain visible on his face.
After the England game in Cardiff, current captain Jos Buttler said it was "great" to have Flintoff around the squad and he had "settled in really well".
He said: "So he's been starting to do some stuff in cricket.
"It's just great for him to be around, he's obviously an England legend and it's just nice to have him around the group.
"He's not been brought in with any specific role, just to be around and observe.
"A few of the lads can pick his brains a little bit and he's settled in really well. It's great to have him with us. Just for this series."
A statement from BBC Studios earlier this year said it had "concluded its investigation into the accident at the Top Gear Test Track in Surrey last December, which regrettably injured presenter Freddie Flintoff".
It continued: "We have sincerely apologised to Freddie and will continue to support him with his recovery. Under the circumstances, we feel it would be inappropriate to resume making series 34 of Top Gear at this time.
"We understand this will be disappointing for fans, but it is the right thing to do, and we'll make a judgement about how best to continue later this year. This has also impacted the production team, who we continue to support."
