A man is in critical condition and one of London’s most iconic landmarks has been thrown into chaos after a car crashed into the famous fountain at Piccadilly Circus and flipped over.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, where two people were taken to hospital following the shocking collision. The wrecked vehicle now sits in the heart of the pedestrian area, cordoned off with police tape.
The dramatic incident brought traffic to a standstill, as key routes including Regent Street, Piccadilly Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, and Coventry Street were temporarily shut down—an extraordinary disruption in one of the city’s busiest areas.
Piccadilly Circus, a major traffic and tourist hub that draws over 100 million visitors each year, was eerily still in the aftermath.
One stunned witness captured photos of the aftermath and said: “Looks like it went straight into the fountain. Roads in every direction are taped off. Biggest roundabout in London closed on a weekend—what a day.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told Metro that officers were called to the scene at 5:28 a.m. following a single-vehicle crash.
“A black BMW overturned and came to rest beside the Eros fountain,” they said. “Two men, both aged 22 and the sole occupants of the vehicle, were rushed to hospital. One man remains in life-threatening condition, while the other’s injuries are not believed to be serious. Thankfully, no pedestrians were hurt, and no other vehicles were involved.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed they received the call at 5:25 a.m. reporting a road traffic collision on Piccadilly, W1J.
“We dispatched multiple resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, an incident response officer, and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART).”
Officials confirmed that one of the two individuals taken to hospital was transferred to a major trauma centre for specialized care.
The car crashed into the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain—commonly known as the Eros fountain—a beloved London landmark unveiled in 1892. Its distinctive silhouette has even become the iconic logo of the Evening Standard newspaper.