BMW crash which left one dead described as ‘utter carnage’ by witnesses

Witness described seeing ‘utter carnage’ after a BMW, which was spotted apparently speeding by a police patrol, ploughed into another vehicle and left the driver dead.

The huge impact left debris across Ruislip Road, Northolt, in the early hours of Monday morning. 

Specialist Metropolitan police collision investigators trawled the scene as they attempted to piece together the chain of events leading to the deadly crash.

Firefighters with cutting equipment were also scrambled to help free those in the wreckage. 

Carl Clement, 33, told Metro: ‘I heard a huge smash and like scraping metal. I didn’t see the impact but the aftermath was utter carnage. There were bits of cars all over the road and smoke. It was like something in a film. It does not surprise me that someone was killed.

‘I’m surprised it wasn’t more people given the state of the cars. Police were on the scene fast. Then there were paramedics, it clear it was very serious. There must have been a high speed involved to cause that level of damage in my opinion.’

A mother of two, 26, told Metro: ‘We heard the bang and then saw two totally wrecked cars with what looked like steam coming out. There were police there and from their body language the incident was extremely serious.’

Another witness told Metro: ‘I heard an almighty bang and looked out of the window and there were two cars wrecked. I saw police take one bloke out of the BMW and match him off.

‘The guy from the Focus was on the roadside. They covered him in a blanket. The body was there for ages as the police carried out their investigation. It was horrific to see. I’ve had trouble sleeping after seeing that. The impact must have been huge. The debris from the cars was all the way along the road.’

Flowers have been left at the scene to mark the spot where the accident happened and in memory of the victim, 47, who has not been named by police.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving. 

A police statement said: ‘An investigation has been launched and officers are appealing for witnesses and information. 

‘At around 04:40hrs a BMW came to the notice of a patrolling police car due to the alleged speed at which it was travelling. 

‘A short time later the BMW was involved in a collision with another vehicle, a Ford Focus, being driven by a member of the public in Ruislip Road. London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade were called and attended.

‘Sadly the driver of the Ford Focus, a man aged 47, died at the scene. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported.

‘Two men in the BMW, a driver and a passenger, both aged 25, were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. They were taken to hospital, and their conditions are not life-threatening. The passenger has since been released with no further action.

The investigation is being led by detectives from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit who are working to establish what happened. They would like to hear from anyone in the area who might have caught dash cam footage of the incident, or in the time leading up to it.’

Ruislip Road was largely closed yesterday as police investigated the scene but it has since reopened.

Police are urging for any witnesses to get in touch with any information they may have.

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