An elderly woman was “thrown 40 feet across the road” after being hit by a police motorbike escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh, an eyewitness claims.
The pedestrian, in her 80s, was critically injured after being hit by the motorcade at around 3.20pm yesterday in Earl’s Court, London.
An onlooker believes the woman had stepped into the road when she was hit by the motorbike and called the road a “nightmare”.
Retired antiques dealer Martin Hennessy, 62, told the Mirror how he saw plenty of police vehicles and that the woman was peering around black curtains shielding a junction box when she was struck.
“She’s lucky to be alive at all. The road is a nightmare. We’ve warned the council about it. There have been three people killed here,” said Mr Hennessy.
“When you get to the junction you have to step out to see if anything is coming, that’s when she was hit.
“I came out to walk the dogs and that's when I saw this thoroughfare. She’d been thrown across the road and the ambulance were treating her."
Another person who lives nearby described the road as "dangerous", and wrote on Facebook: "This road is awful - it scares me."
Paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance attended the scene, and the woman was taken to hospital .
She remains in a critical condition and her family have been informed.
It is not immediately clear where the Duchess was travelling, but it came a day after she hosted the Buckingham Palace garden party with the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The Duchess said that she was praying for the injured woman.
In a short statement, Buckingham Palace said: "The Duchess’s heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the injured lady and her family.
"She is grateful for the swift response by the emergency services and will keep abreast of developments.
"Further comment at this time would not be appropriate while the incident is being investigated."
No other injuries were reported, said the Metropolitan Police, and enquiries into the crash are ongoing.
In an updated statement this morning, the force confirmed that an investigation has been launched by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
A police spokesperson said: “A woman has been injured after being involved in a collision with a police motorcycle in west London.
"At approximately 15:21hrs on Wednesday, 10 May a police motorcycle on escort duties was involved in a collision with a member of the public on West Cromwell Road, Earls Court, SW5.
"Paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance attended and a woman, aged in her 80s, was taken to hospital. She remains there in a critical condition. Her family have been informed.
"There are no reports of any other injuries."
