Twisted wreckage of a sports car on its roof greeted the first visitors to Piccadilly Circus in London on Sunday morning after two men were badly injured in a horror smash with the famous Eros fountain. Debris and mangled metal littered the scene where the high-powered BMW had come to a halt on the steps of the iconic monument close to Piccadilly Circus Underground Station.
Several large bollards had been uprooted by the force of the smash which emergency services rushed to assess around 5.25am. Two men from the car, both aged 22, were taken to hospital, with one being described as in a “life threatening” condition.
Metropolitan Police said no pedestrians were injured and no other vehicles are thought to have been involved in the incident. Posting on social media, a person who claimed to have seen the crash said the car was a “blur” and “hammering” through the area with “no breaking whatsoever”.
The fountain, also known as the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, which has stood on the site since 1892, did not appear to have sustained any damage in the collision.
A spokesperson for the police said: “A black BMW had overturned, ending up next to the Eros fountain. Officers attended with London Ambulance Service paramedics and the London Fire Brigade.
“Two men, both aged 22 and both occupants of the vehicle, were taken to hospital. One of the men is in a life threatening condition. The other man’s injuries are not believed to be life threatening.”
London Ambulance Service said paramedics were on scene in less than four minutes and that one of the men from the car was taken to a major trauma centre.
Piccadilly Circus is one the busiest transport and pedestrian thoroughfares in the capital, with an estimated footfall of around 100 million people annually.
The Met said the removal of the vehicle from the scene would happen “when we have carried out the work required to investigate this serious incident”.
Transport for London (TfL) said some of the entrances to Piccadilly Underground Station had been closed during the police investigation.