This is the terrifying moment a pedestrian is thrown into the air after a multi-vehicle crash that saw a car mount a pavement and collide with a north London brasserie.
Exclusive footage obtained by The Standard shows a man being knocked to the ground by what is believed to be an Uber outside Pera Schnitzel Garden on Upper Street, Islington, before walking away practically unscathed.
CCTV shows the pedestrian — who was wearing a denim jacket, black jeans and white trainers, while carrying a bag — was walking along the path before being hit by the Nissan Leaf.
It mounted on the curb and smashed into the man, a flower planter and a row of tables outside the restaurant, which was shut at the time.
The driver of the Uber is understood to have been carrying a woman in her 40s, who remains in a life-threatening condition following the horror crash on Thursday just before 8am.
There is no suggestion that the Uber driver did anything wrong, but was in a collision with another car.
Pera’s owner Yesim Obudan — who was at home at the time of the crash — told The Standard: “He just walked out from the car like nothing happened. He noticed exactly at that time what was happening.”
Meanwhile, an employee at London-based maintenance company Gilmartins said he and his son pinned the suspect down until the officers arrived.
The father told Metro: “My son got to him and started hitting him but it wasn’t doing anything. Then he hit my son in the face and I pinned him down. It felt like forever for the police to come.”
Officers, ambulance crews and firefighters were dispatched to the crash near Islington Town Hall where five people were treated.
This included a motorist, a man in his 20s, who was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, Scotland Yard said.
Emergency crews rushed two of the injured to a major trauma centre, while the other two were taken to hospital.
Turkish national Yesim, who has lived in Britain with her husband Suleyman for two decades, was forced to shut Pera on Thursday after the taxi dented the front of her café and officers cordoned off the area.
Speaking at Pera’s reopening on Friday, Yesim, who is in her 40s, said she was “scared” to hear about the crash outside her business.
“It is so surprising, really. It could happen anywhere, unfortunately,” she said. “I am just worried about them (the injured). I just want to find out how they are.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We sent a number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, an incident response officer and London’s Air Ambulance.
“Our crews treated four patients at the scene, before taking two to a London major trauma centre and two to hospital.”
The London Fire Brigade added: “Two cars collided and a third car collided with a building and a pedestrian. Four people were taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service.”
A Met statement read: “Police were called at 07:57hrs on Thursday, 10 April to reports of a road traffic collision in Upper Street.
“Officers, the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade attended and found two cars and a pedestrian involved in a collision.
“A commercial premises was also damaged in the collision.
“The driver of one of the cars, aged in his 20s, fled the scene and was detained by members of the public in nearby Richmond Grove.
“The driver is alleged to have assaulted one of the members of public.
“He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, assault, failing to provide a specimen and driving while unfit through drugs.
“He was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has been bailed to return in early July.
“The driver of the other car, a man in his 50s, and a female passenger aged in her 40s were taken to hospital. The female remains in a life-threatening or life-changing condition. The pedestrian and the member of public were also taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries.”
All vehicles were recovered and Upper Street, which carries the A1, reopened on Thursday at around 7pm.
