A serious three-vehicle collision on the A1 Upper Street outside a busy caf?? has brought traffic to a standstill in both directions between Canonbury Lane and Barnsbury Street, near Islington Town Hall. The incident occurred at around 7:45am on Friday, 11 April 2025, and has caused major disruption during the morning rush hour. Emergency services rushed to the scene after one of the vehicles ploughed into tables outside a caf??, where customers were seated. Emergency Response and Diversions Police, ambulance crews, and firefighters responded rapidly. It is currently unknown how many people have been injured, but eyewitnesses reported seeing paramedics treating multiple individuals at the scene. The road has been completely blocked between Highbury Corner and Islington Green, and traffic is heavily congested in the surrounding areas. A diversion is in place affecting bus routes 4, 19, 30, and 43, which are being rerouted while emergency teams work at the scene. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: ???We are currently dealing with a three-vehicle road traffic collision on Upper Street in Islington. One vehicle collided with outdoor seating at a nearby caf??. Officers remain at the scene and are working to assess the circumstances.??? Eyewitness Accounts Several passersby shared dramatic images and video clips on social media, showing a damaged vehicle against the caf?????s outdoor area, with broken chairs and tables scattered along the pavement. One witness wrote on X: ???Shocking crash on Upper Street ??? a car mounted the pavement and hit a caf??. Hope everyone???s okay.??? Another said: ???Emergency services everywhere ??? avoid the area if you can.??? Investigation and Travel Advice An accident investigation is now underway, and officers are working to clear the scene and assess the structural safety of the caf?? frontage. Motorists are advised to avoid the area and use alternative routes. Public transport users should check for l
Emergency services are at the scene (Picture: UKNIP)

A hero father and son chased down an alleged drug driver who tried to run away from a horrific car crash in Islington.

A car crashed into Pera Schnitzel Garden, a European restaurant, on the A1 Upper Street in central London at about 7.45am, causing major disruption throughout rush hour and beyond.

The London Ambulance Service says it treated four people at the scene, including a woman in her 40s who was taken to hospital ‘in a life-threatening or life-changing condition’.

An employee at Gilmartins, a London-based maintenance company, and his son witnessed the horror crash from the company van before spotting the alleged driver of the vehicle fleeing the scene.

The Gilmartins employee told his son to stop the driver from leaving the crash site and the pair pinned successfully pinned him down before police arrived.

The father, who did not want to be named, told Metro: ‘My son got to him and started hitting him but it wasn’t doing anything.

A serious three-vehicle collision on the A1 Upper Street outside a busy caf?? has brought traffic to a standstill in both directions between Canonbury Lane and Barnsbury Street, near Islington Town Hall. The incident occurred at around 7:45am on Friday, 11 April 2025, and has caused major disruption during the morning rush hour. Emergency services rushed to the scene after one of the vehicles ploughed into tables outside a caf??, where customers were seated. Emergency Response and Diversions Police, ambulance crews, and firefighters responded rapidly. It is currently unknown how many people have been injured, but eyewitnesses reported seeing paramedics treating multiple individuals at the scene. The road has been completely blocked between Highbury Corner and Islington Green, and traffic is heavily congested in the surrounding areas. A diversion is in place affecting bus routes 4, 19, 30, and 43, which are being rerouted while emergency teams work at the scene. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: ???We are currently dealing with a three-vehicle road traffic collision on Upper Street in Islington. One vehicle collided with outdoor seating at a nearby caf??. Officers remain at the scene and are working to assess the circumstances.??? Eyewitness Accounts Several passersby shared dramatic images and video clips on social media, showing a damaged vehicle against the caf?????s outdoor area, with broken chairs and tables scattered along the pavement. One witness wrote on X: ???Shocking crash on Upper Street ??? a car mounted the pavement and hit a caf??. Hope everyone???s okay.??? Another said: ???Emergency services everywhere ??? avoid the area if you can.??? Investigation and Travel Advice An accident investigation is now underway, and officers are working to clear the scene and assess the structural safety of the caf?? frontage. Motorists are advised to avoid the area and use alternative routes. Public transport users should check for l
The road closure is causing congestion (Picture: UKNIP)

‘Then he hit my son in the face and I pinned him down. It felt like forever for the police to come.

‘Everyone was standing there and watching.’

He claimed the car had been driving at 70mph before it then collided in to the Uber.

The father and son duo also witnessed a man outside Pera ‘go flying’ as the Uber then skidded into the restaurant.

A Met Police spokesperson told Metro: ‘Police were called to a collision involving two cars and a building on Upper Street, Islington at around 7.58am on Thursday, April 10.

‘One driver, a man in his 20s, was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening and life-changing injuries.

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‘The driver of the other car, a man, and a female passenger in her 40s were taken to hospital. The female remains in a life-threatening or life-changing condition.

‘The road remains closed for investigation and recovery. Enquiries continue.’

A serious three-vehicle collision on the A1 Upper Street outside a busy caf?? has brought traffic to a standstill in both directions between Canonbury Lane and Barnsbury Street, near Islington Town Hall. The incident occurred at around 7:45am on Friday, 11 April 2025, and has caused major disruption during the morning rush hour. Emergency services rushed to the scene after one of the vehicles ploughed into tables outside a caf??, where customers were seated. Emergency Response and Diversions Police, ambulance crews, and firefighters responded rapidly. It is currently unknown how many people have been injured, but eyewitnesses reported seeing paramedics treating multiple individuals at the scene. The road has been completely blocked between Highbury Corner and Islington Green, and traffic is heavily congested in the surrounding areas. A diversion is in place affecting bus routes 4, 19, 30, and 43, which are being rerouted while emergency teams work at the scene. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: ???We are currently dealing with a three-vehicle road traffic collision on Upper Street in Islington. One vehicle collided with outdoor seating at a nearby caf??. Officers remain at the scene and are working to assess the circumstances.??? Eyewitness Accounts Several passersby shared dramatic images and video clips on social media, showing a damaged vehicle against the caf?????s outdoor area, with broken chairs and tables scattered along the pavement. One witness wrote on X: ???Shocking crash on Upper Street ??? a car mounted the pavement and hit a caf??. Hope everyone???s okay.??? Another said: ???Emergency services everywhere ??? avoid the area if you can.??? Investigation and Travel Advice An accident investigation is now underway, and officers are working to clear the scene and assess the structural safety of the caf?? frontage.
The road is still closed (Picture: UKNIP)

Pictures taken at the scene show significant damage to the vehicle which hit the restaurant, with its windows smashed and front crumpled.

Several tables and fencing which had been outside the restaurant have been pushed over to one side.

Three vehicles in total were involved in the collision, with a van and car stopped on the busy central London road within the police cordon.

The windscreen of the car in the road has been shattered, while a pile of sand has been placed on the ground next to it.

Blue sheeting and what looks like ambulance equipment has been left next to the van.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson told Metro: ‘We were called at 7.57am this morning to reports of a road traffic collision in Upper Street, Islington.

A serious three-vehicle collision on the A1 Upper Street outside a busy caf?? has brought traffic to a standstill in both directions between Canonbury Lane and Barnsbury Street, near Islington Town Hall. The incident occurred at around 7:45am on Friday, 11 April 2025, and has caused major disruption during the morning rush hour. Emergency services rushed to the scene after one of the vehicles ploughed into tables outside a caf??, where customers were seated. Emergency Response and Diversions Police, ambulance crews, and firefighters responded rapidly. It is currently unknown how many people have been injured, but eyewitnesses reported seeing paramedics treating multiple individuals at the scene. The road has been completely blocked between Highbury Corner and Islington Green, and traffic is heavily congested in the surrounding areas. A diversion is in place affecting bus routes 4, 19, 30, and 43, which are being rerouted while emergency teams work at the scene. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: ???We are currently dealing with a three-vehicle road traffic collision on Upper Street in Islington. One vehicle collided with outdoor seating at a nearby caf??. Officers remain at the scene and are working to assess the circumstances.??? Eyewitness Accounts Several passersby shared dramatic images and video clips on social media, showing a damaged vehicle against the caf?????s outdoor area, with broken chairs and tables scattered along the pavement. One witness wrote on X: ???Shocking crash on Upper Street ??? a car mounted the pavement and hit a caf??. Hope everyone???s okay.??? Another said: ???Emergency services everywhere ??? avoid the area if you can.??? Investigation and Travel Advice An accident investigation is now underway, and officers are working to clear the scene and assess the structural safety of the caf?? frontage.
The road is blocked while police are at the scene (Picture: UKNIP)

‘We sent a number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, an incident response officer and London’s Air Ambulance.

‘The first of our crews arrived in one minute.

‘Our crews treated four patients at the scene, before taking two to a London major trauma centre and two to hospital.’

A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade said: ‘Firefighters were called to a road traffic collision on Barnsbury Street in Islington.

‘Two cars collided and a third car collided with a building and a pedestrian. Four people were taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service.

‘Control Officers received the call at 8am and mobilised four fire engines and two Fire Rescue Units to the scene.’

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