A high-speed police pursuit through Thornton Heath in the early hours of Friday morning ended in a serious crash, leaving a man injured and prompting a large emergency services response.
The collision occurred at the junction of Devonshire Road and Croydon Road, narrowly missing a local doctors’ surgery, with black safety bollards at the roadside believed to have prevented the vehicle from crashing into the building.
Dramatic Chase Ends in Crash
Eyewitnesses reported seeing a blue car racing down Whitehorse Road, pursued by police vehicles.
“It was flying down the road with police behind it,” said a woman heading to her early-morning cleaning job. “I couldn’t believe how fast it was going.”
Moments later, the vehicle crashed near the busy junction, leading to the deployment of London Fire Brigade crews from Croydon Fire Station. Firefighters used specialist cutting equipment to remove the roof and doors of the mangled vehicle in order to safely extract the driver.
Driver Taken to Trauma Centre
The male driver, understood to be of pensionable age, was carefully secured to a spinal board before being transported to a nearby trauma centre. His current condition has not been confirmed.
A source at the scene said the car came to a stop just metres from a local GP surgery, with safety bollards playing a crucial role in absorbing the impact and preventing further damage or injury.
Police Investigation Underway
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that an investigation is ongoing, led by officers from the Catford Roads Policing Unit. The exact reason for the pursuit and the events leading up to the crash are still being determined.
A cordon remains in place, with local bus routes diverted and collision investigators working at the scene throughout the morning.
Public Advised to Avoid Area
Authorities are asking members of the public to avoid the area while recovery and investigation work is ongoing.
We have contacted the Metropolitan Police and the London Ambulance for an official statement and will provide updates as more information becomes available.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 6.01am today (28 March) to reports of a road traffic collision on Whitehorse Road, Croydon.
“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer.
“We treated a man at the scene and took him to a major trauma centre as a priority.”
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