According to La Provence, Baumel had stopped by the roadside to assist another car when a passing vehicle struck the veteran co-driver. Baumel was en route to the Rally Monte-Carlo Historic event at the time. The accident occurred on Wednesday of this week.
“He saw a damaged car and stopped to help the people. Then another car came and hit him,” said Baumel’s father, Gérard Baumel, in an interview with La Provence.
As of Friday, the situation remained so severe that the family had not yet been able to visit Baumel. Due to the extent of his injuries, doctors placed him in an induced coma.
“It’s serious,” admitted Gérard Baumel.
According to another French outlet, L’Union de Reims, Baumel was speaking with the occupants of the damaged car when he was hit by a Renault Clio. The driver was a 73-year-old woman who tested negative for both alcohol and drugs. She was not injured, but a 70-year-old man in the passenger seat sustained minor injuries.
The accident occurred on a road with a speed limit of 90 km/h, near the city of Reims.
The 49-year-old Baumel has celebrated four Dakar Rally victories alongside Nasser Al-Attiyah, with wins in 2015, 2019, and 2022–23. This year, Baumel served as co-driver for Belgian driver Guillaume de Mevius.
