A SHOCKING catalogue of BBC ‘failures’ in Freddie Flintoff’s near-fatal crash has been revealed.
The popular Top Gear presenter, 45, was badly hurt when a roofless high-speed three-wheel car he was driving flipped and slid along a track.
Freddie Flintoff was badly injured in a near-fatal car crash in December
He was filming for an episode of Top Gear at the time
The Beeb was forced to conduct a health and safety review into the incident but is refusing to ever publish the findings.
Today, though, The Celeb Report can reveal that Freddie faced an agonising 45-minute wait for an air ambulance and was not wearing a helmet at the time.
Additionally, no medical stretcher could be located and the 130mph Morgan Super 3 sports car he was driving was not fitted with an airbag.
Insiders say that Freddie suffered horror injuries to his jaw and broken ribs in the smash in December.
A source said: “A very young producer, in their early twenties, effectively signed off on the whole stunt.
“Certain members of the crew just feel like insufficient checks and measures were made in the run-up.
“The sense is that some of the driving stunts were being done on the cheap in order to save money. Lessons have been learned.”
The source added: “How this could have been allowed to happen on a notoriously high-octane show like Top Gear, which is famed for its dangerous stunts, is beyond bewildering.
“The BBC has been keen to keep a lid on the extent of Freddie’s injuries for obvious reasons.
“The accident itself was far worse than anyone really realises — it’s hard to put into words, really; what he went through is simply unimaginable.
“But essentially the car turned over at speed, and Freddie — who also broke some ribs — understandably is traumatised by the whole thing.”
Earlier this week, The Celeb Report revealed that the future of the long-running cult car show “hangs in the balance”
Bulldozers have been seen at the famous aerodrome set to work on housing development.
Last month BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore revealed that filming for series 34 of Top Gear had been canned.
She said: “My priority at the moment is supporting Freddie through his recovery so I think it would be really inappropriate for us to resume filming now.”
She added: “I think we’ve got to talk about what Freddie wants to do.”
The Celeb Report can reveal that he was not wearing a helmet and the car was not fitted with airbags
