The jury at the inquest into the deaths of Diana,
Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed has been hearing the evidence of a
firefighter who heard what may have been the princess’s final words before she
died of internal injuries.
Volunteer firefighter Damian Dalby has told the High Court via videolink from
Paris how he ran towards the smoking wreckage of the Mercedes following the
crash in the Alma tunnel.
Recalled Mr Dalby: "There was smoke emanating from the vehicle. I
wanted to stop the battery but I couldn't."
With the inquest now hearing frequent evidence about the behaviour of paparazzi
photographers both before and after the crash, the firefighter has told the court that a
photographer standing close to the wreckage "did not stop me from doing my assistance
job".
However, according to the firefighter, flashbulbs were constantly going off as he attempted to help
Diana, who died in a local hospital less than four hours later.
Noticing a female whom he didn't immediately realise to be the divorced Princess of Wales in the back of
the crashed Mercedes, Mr Dalby heard her say: "Oh
my God, oh my God."
These are widely believed to have been the last words of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Now into the fourth week of what may be a six-month process, the inquest
has also heard further written statements from others who were in the Alma
tunnel in the early hours of August 31st 1997.
