Flintoff Reveals Harrowing Details of Top Gear Crash: ‘I Thought I Was Dead’

LONDON — Former England cricket star Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff has spoken publicly for the first time about the near-fatal crash he suffered while filming Top Gear in December 2022, revealing the traumatic physical and emotional toll of the incident in a new Disney+ documentary titled Freddie.

The 47-year-old TV presenter sustained severe facial injuries and multiple rib fractures when the Morgan Super 3 he was driving flipped during a test run at the Dunsfold Park Aerodrome track in Surrey. Flintoff recounted the crash in harrowing detail, saying he initially believed he had died.

“I thought I was dead, because I was conscious but I couldn’t see anything,” he recalled in the documentary. “I was thinking, is that it? Just black for the rest of my days?”

Flintoff said his helmet had slipped over his eyes during the rollover, and the moment he lifted it to find himself still on the track was when reality began to set in. What followed was a horrifying discovery: blood, pain, and a fear that his face had been destroyed.

“I thought my face had come off. I was frightened to death,” he said. The crash left him in “agony” for nearly 40 minutes before an air ambulance arrived to take him to hospital.

The car, a lightweight three-wheeler with no roof or doors, slid across the track and dragged Flintoff for about 50 metres. He credits his reflexes as a former cricketer for helping him reduce the severity of his injuries.

“As it started going over, I looked at the ground and I knew, if I get hit here on the side then I’ll break my neck… the best chance is to go face down,” he explained. “Then I remember hitting the ground… and being pulled face down on the runway.”

Consultant maxillofacial surgeon Jahrad Haq, who treated Flintoff, described his injuries as among the most severe he had encountered in his career. Flintoff lost parts of both his upper and lower lips, several teeth, and suffered significant damage to his jawbone and facial structure.

“This was in the top five of facial injuries I’ve seen,” said Mr Haq.

The psychological impact was equally profound. “Part of me wishes I’d been killed,” Flintoff admitted in a moment of raw honesty. “I didn’t want to kill myself… but I was thinking, this would have been so much easier.”

Flintoff’s recovery was aided by a return to cricket, a sport that had once made him a national hero. He has since joined the coaching staff of the England Lions and revived his passion for the game.

“When Andrew needed it most, cricket was there for him,” said his wife Rachael. “It gave him a reason for being again.”

In addition to coaching, Flintoff has returned to television. His BBC series Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams has been nominated for a Bafta, and a reboot of the classic darts game show Bullseye, which he hosted over Christmas, is set to return for a full season.

The BBC has since “rested” Top Gear indefinitely and reached a financial settlement with Flintoff following the accident.