A forensic pathologist has revealed that Princess Diana might have survived the fatal injury she sustained in the car crash that claimed her life.
It’s been over 28 years since the tragic incident that led to the death of the beloved Princess of Wales in a car accident.
On August 31, 1997, the 36-year-old Princess Diana and her partner, Dodi Fayed, were attempting to evade paparazzi in Paris when their car crashed.
Reports indicate that the chauffeur, Henri Paul, lost control of the vehicle at the Pont de l’Alma underpass, colliding with another car before swerving into a column at approximately 65 mph.
The accident resulted in the deaths of Princess Diana, her partner, and the chauffeur, with only Dodi’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, surviving. Diana suffered cardiac arrest and died due to internal bleeding caused by severe chest and lung injuries.
Renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Richard Shepherd has suggested that Diana could have survived if certain life-saving measures were implemented at the scene and immediately after the accident.
Dr. Shepherd, after reviewing the evidence, reveals in his book “Unnatural Causes” that her injury, a small tear in a lung vein, was extraordinarily rare and one he had never encountered before in his career.
“Diana’s was a very small injury but in the wrong place,” he noted.
The pathologist aims to dispel conspiracy theories, affirming that her death was unmistakably due to the injury she sustained.
However, he emphasizes that her death was a ‘classic example’ of an ‘is only’ case, pointing out that she might have avoided the injury ‘if only’ she had been wearing a seatbelt.
Dr. Shepherd wrote: “Had she been restrained, she would probably have appeared in public two days later with a black eye, perhaps a bit breathless from the fractured ribs and with a broken arm in a sling.”
The sole survivor, Mr. Rees-Jones, was the only one wearing a seatbelt in the vehicle, which likely helped him withstand the force of collision.
Dr. Shepherd also highlighted that Diana’s position in the car might have been another ‘if only’ factor in her survival, as a different angle or slower speed might have changed the outcome.
Another ‘if only’ involves her medical treatment. Diana was not immediately transported in an ambulance because she appeared responsive, but she was actually suffering from internal bleeding due to a ruptured vein.
First responder firefighter Xavier Gourmelon at the scene confirmed he was unaware of Diana’s severe internal injuries.
“To be honest, I thought she would live. As far as I knew when she was in the ambulance she was alive and I expected her to live,” he told The Sun after sharing Diana’s last words.
A police inquiry in 2004 investigated any suspicious circumstances around the deaths, concluding it was a ‘tragic accident’.
Dr. Shepherd concurs with the inquiry’s findings, writing in his book: “The pathology of her death is, I believe, indisputable. But around that tiny, fatal tear in a pulmonary vein are woven many other facts, some of which are sufficiently opaque to allow a multitude of theories to blossom.”