Richard Hammond Talking About His Coma Will Make You Tear Up

When Richard Hammond crashed a jet-powered car in 2006, it took a lot away from him. He lost his sense of invincibility, he lost two weeks to a coma, and he lost basic functions due to the brain damage. Eventually, he'd get them back. But while he was in the coma, he also got something that anyone would want: clarity about what the end will feel like.

In a new video from "What Next?" on YouTube, the former Top Gear and current Grand Tour presenter shows us where his mind went during his coma. You should watch it before you read another word, as any more detail will dull its impact:

In the video, he walks to the same tree he visited in his dreamscape, and explains what it felt like to be on the precipice of death. He trudged up the mountain, aware that something bad was coming, but knew where he was headed. When the sense of impending doom became too much to bear, he turned around and headed back down. That's when he woke up.

In the real world, his wife, after being told that it wasn't looking good, asked if she could yell at him. She shouted at his comatose body, telling him "don't you dare die." Something about that must have gotten through, because that's when he turned around on the mountain, headed home, and woke up. He eventually recovered completely.

Now, he's quite comforted by the memory. He can place his hands on the tree to which he was walking, and know that it's where he's headed. He can stand on the most uncertain ground and know what it'll feel like when his number gets called. And if you've ever felt a holistic, spiritual connection to a physical place, you might know where your mind will go as the light fades.

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