A cyclist has been seriously injured in collision with a skip lorry on Chelsea Bridge during the Wednesday morning rush hour.
The incident is believed to have happened at around 8am on the north side of the bridge, near the Chelsea Embankment.
Two eyewitnesses told the Standard that the vehicle involved was a skip lorry. One said she helped to stop the traffic to enable the cyclist, a man, to be treated.
Officers from the Met’s territorial support group were first on the scene and were said by witnesses to have been “brilliant” in the way they came to the cyclist’s aid, prior to the arrival of London Ambulance Service paramedics.
A Transport for London spokeswoman said the crash happened on the bridge and that the cyclist’s “injuries continue to be treated as potentially life changing”.
Police later confirmed the cyclist’s injuries were not life changing.
One person told the Standard via X/Twitter: “My wife stopped at the scene shortly afterwards, around 8.15, rider being given first aid at the roadside, conscious and with apparent leg injuries, police and paramedics arrived very quickly. Wishing the rider a full and speedy recovery.”
Another eye-witness, Rishi Dastidar, posted on X at about 9.20am: “Just passed a horrible looking accident on Chelsea Bridge.
“When I went past they were putting someone on to a stretcher so a good sign I hope. A bus and a big refuse lorry type thing were stationary, so assume those must have been involved in some way.”
A third witness told the Standard that the lorry - which she described as an “industrial-size skip lorry” - had been in the “middle lane” on the bridge and did not appear to have been turning at the time.
A Big Bus sightseeing bus was behind the lorry, in the bus lane on the bridge. She saw the aftermath of the collision, with the bike under the lorry’s wheels.
Chelsea bridge and that part of the Embankment were closed to traffic on Wednesday morning as a result of the police investigation. One witness said the lorry driver also appeared to be in shock.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 8.07am to reports of a road traffic collision involving a cyclist and a truck on Chelsea Bridge.
“We sent an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic and an incident response officer to the scene. “We treated a man at the scene and took him to a major trauma centre.”
The Met police said it was awaiting an update on the cyclist’s condition.
It said in a statement: “At this early stage, enquiries are still on-going. There have been no arrests. Chelsea Bridge will remain closed until further notice.
“If you saw, or have any information that may assist then please come forward to police stating CAD1564/19JUNE.”
In 2017, a pregnant cyclist Charlotte Landi was killed at the junction of Chelsea bridge and Grosvenor Road after being hit by a tipper truck.
The tipper truck driver, Jason Edmunds, pleaded guilty to causing her death by careless driving but walked free after receiving a suspended sentence.
Ms Landi’s death sparked a “die in” outside Kensington town hall as cyclists urged Kensington and Chelsea council to improve road safety.
