(PTI): Former England captain Andrew Flintoff has been airlifted to a hospital after suffering a horror car crash in Surrey while filming an episode for BBC's TV Show.
The 45-year-old was filming for 'Top Gear' in icy conditions at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey on Tuesday when the accident happened.
"Freddie (Flintoff) was injured in an accident at the Top Gear test track this morning - with crew medics attending the scene immediately," the BBC said in a statement.
"He has been taken to hospital for further treatment and we will confirm more details in due course." According to 'The Sun', Flintoff's injuries are not "life-threatening" and he was "driving on the track as normal" and was not going at a high speed.
Photo credit:Twitter/@bbcpress
"All the usual health and safety measures were in place for filming too," a source was quoted as saying by 'The Sun'.
"Freddie was taken to hospital by air ambulance shortly afterwards. "Filming has been postponed for now and all anyone cares about is Freddie recovering." His co-star Chris Harris was also at the 'Top Gear' test track.
Three years back, Flintoff had survived a 125mph crash during the shooting of another episode of Top Gear.
Flintoff, who retired from international cricket in 2009, has played 79 Tests and 141 limited-overs internationals for England.
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Ballari: Former minister B Sriramulu and Gangavathi MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy addressed a joint press conference on Friday, a day after a violent clash broke out between rival Reddy groups over the installation of banners ahead of the Valmiki statue unveiling programme in the city.
Speaking to reporters, Sriramulu said the death of Rajasekhar Reddy, who was killed by a gunshot during the clash, was painful. He said he and his party would stand by the victim’s family and extend support to them. Alleging that Ballari MLA Nara Bharath Reddy was responsible for the incident, Sriramulu demanded legal action against him and called for a thorough probe to establish whose bullet caused Rajasekhar Reddy’s death.
Sriramulu further alleged that the clash was premeditated, claiming that a group had come near their residence with petrol-filled beer bottles and stones, allegedly with the intention of attacking them. He also alleged that there was an attempt to assault Janardhana Reddy.
Janardhana Reddy, addressing the media, said the incident had made him fear for his life. He alleged that there was an attempt to kill him and held Bharath Reddy responsible for the violence. Former minister Somasekhar Reddy, BJP Ballari district leaders and party workers were also present at the press meet.
The clash occurred on Thursday night in the Havambhavi area when rival groups confronted each other over putting up banners for the Valmiki statue unveiling scheduled for January 3. During the violence, a Congress worker was shot dead. Police have registered four separate cases in connection with the incident, including one taken up suo motu.
Responding to the allegations, Ballari MLA Bharath Reddy said the party was mourning the loss of its worker, Rajasekhar Reddy, whom he described as a close associate. He accused Janardhana Reddy of trying to divert attention from illegal mining issues and said the death had cast a shadow over the planned celebrations. He announced that the Valmiki statue unveiling programme had been postponed due to the prevailing atmosphere of grief.
Meanwhile, Ballari Rural MLA B Nagendra confirmed that the statue unveiling event had been temporarily deferred following the clash and on the advice of the Chief Minister. He said the programme would be held on a later date under the leadership of the Chief Minister and senior ministers. Nagendra also criticised Janardhana Reddy, saying there was no place for what he described as a “Republic of Ballari” mindset under the present administration, and asserted that the government would not allow any form of intimidation or lawlessness.
