Two men were rescued by ‘heroic’ Londoners who dragged them from their smoking BMW after it ploughed into the fountain at Piccadilly Circus.
One of the occupants, aged 22, was taken to the major trauma hospital after the crash in the early hours of Sunday.
Before ambulances could arrive, a dozen passers-by ran to the wreckage of the car and worked together to pull out the two men.
(Pictures: Lucy North/PA Wire)
They managed to pull out the injured driver and passenger, not knowing if the vehicle would catch fire or fall on them as they struggled to free them, witnesses said.
Dramatic footage shows the selfless ‘heroes’ lifting up a limp man wearing jeans and a hoodie from the chaotic crash.
A lamp post and a security bollard had been ripped out of the ground by the black BMW.
A club worker who saw the rescue told Metro: ‘There was a group around the wreckage.
‘There was smoke coming out. They were heroes to dive in like that. The car was badly beaten up. It could have caught fire or anything.’
Piccadilly Circus is one of London’s busiest roundabouts – connecting multiple roads to the West End and attracting upwards of 100,000,000 visitors each year.
The Eros statue and the fountain itself weren’t damaged.
One of the men was originally on the critical list but is now not in a life-threatening condition, police said.
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A Metropolitan Police statement said: ‘We were called at 5.28 am after a single vehicle collision.
‘A black BMW had overturned, ending up next to the Eros fountain. Two men, both aged 22 and both occupants of the vehicle, were taken to the hospital.
‘No pedestrians were injured and no other vehicles are believed to be involved.’
No arrests have been made.
Major roads near the crash – Regent Street, Piccadilly Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, and Coventry Street were closed as emergency services swooped in.
The fountain into which the car crashed is known as the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, also called Eros.
It was unveiled in 1892, and its iconic silhouette is known as the logo of the Evening Standard newspaper.
