Bellingham crash: Five rushed to hospital after Mercedes hits pedestrians in south east London

Five people were rushed to hospital after a Mercedes car crashed into pedestrians in south east London.

Police and paramedics were called to Bromley Road in Bellingham at 8.20am on Sunday after the car smashed into a wall.

Scotland Yard said the vehicle had hit a number of pedestrians when the crash happened near Catford bus garage and a hand car wash.

One witness reported seeing a person trapped underneath the car.

Four men and a woman were injured in the incident and, after being treated at the roadside, were taken to hospital.

Three of them, a 35-year-old woman and two 25-year-old men were initally in a critical condition.

The woman and one of the men were later described by police as being "serious but stable".

Two other men, aged 36 and 46, are in a stable condition.

Police said the car driver was detained by an off-duty police officer.

He was later arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and drink driving.

The driver was also taken to hospital with a head injury.

Police said there was no suggestion the incident was terror-related.

The road was closed off on Sunday morning as police investigated.

A neighbour told the Standard the crash took place beside a handheld car wash that was already open for business on Sunday morning. It is not known whether anyone at the car wash was hurt.

Another said: "It seems like the car's ploughed into two bollards and ended up in the hedges by the bus garage. I hope everyone's ok.

"It's so sad, this always happens on this strip of road. There's always some accident or the other."

"It's really heartbreaking because we live here and I'm always seeing these accidents," he said. "I wonder what it's going to take for some action.

"From what I could see everyone seemed alive when leaving in the ambulances, so I hope it stays that way."

Photos from the scene showed scores of emergency service vehicles at the scene outside the car wash and beside the bus station.

One witness wrote on social media: “Big car crash on Bromley Road.

“Tons of police, ambulances, even helicopter landed in PC World.

“One person trapped under a car and two others injured at the car wash. My thoughts and prayers are with them.”

The Mercedes appears to have come off the road and ploughed through a row of bollards before hitting a low wall at the end of a hedge.

The car's bonnet and boot were popped open by the impact, and its airbags all deployed. Debris was left strewn across the pavement.

A Met Police spokesman said: “Police were called at approximately 8.20am on Sunday, 26 February, to reports of a Mercedes in collision with a wall and pedestrians on Bromley Road in Bellingham.

"Officers, the London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance attended."

He said: "The driver of the car was detained at the scene by an off-duty police officer before being arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

"He was also arrested on suspicion of drink drive before being taken to a south London hospital with a head injury."

London Ambulance service said medical crews arrived at the scene in Catford in less than seven minutes.

A spokeswoman said: "We treated five patients for a range of head, chest and leg injuries at the scene and took all five to hospital as a priority."

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit's witness appeal line on 020 8285 1574 or via 101.