Community Chat

[Lindsays Grandma]

According to well known Forensic Pathologist Dr. Richard Shepherd, who performed a second autopsy on Princess Diana, he declared she would have been at the weddings of William and Harry if she had worn a seat belt.

He also claimed she would have ended up with a black eye or a broken arm when the accident occurred had she been wearing a seat belt.  Because she was not strapped in, she was thrown forward with a force the body is unable to endure.

How terribly sad that not doing a simple thing like putting on a seat belt caused the death of a beautiful soul who had so  much to offer her children, their children and mankind.  Twenty years after her death she is still remembered and missed.  She made a strong impact wherever she went and whomever she touched.  She will forever be remembered. 

[beach-mom]

@Lindsays Grandma - This was interesting. I've read a lot about the accident, and I think I remember the first responders saying she looked like she was fine on the outside. All of her injuries were internal. Like you said, it is sad. 

[Kachina624]

I believe the autopsy said she died of a ruptured aorta caused by being thrown forward so violently.  Yes, the seatbelt could have prevented that.

[shopperqvc]

Yes, a seat belt would have kept her from having the major injuries she had but a driver that was drunk didn't do her or anyone else in the car any good either. There are two lessons from that accident to be learned. If any of the people that were snapping photos of the accident had realized that she needed help and gotten help for her right away the outcome may have been different, too. They were more interested in getting their photo than they were in getting the injured to the hospital.

[proudlyfromNJ]

Well, since we knew all along that out of the four people in the car, the only survivor was the bodyguard in the front seat. And...he was wearing his seatbelt. This news isn't new.

My husband rarely wears a seatbelt. When we are on a major highway, I say to him 'remember Princess Diana' the only survivor had on his seatbelt he will put it on.

Wasnt the transport reason that France tries to get a person stabilized before going to the hospital? Don't understand that.

[bonnielu]

My smart car will not start without the seat belt on. And if anyone is in the back seat my dashboard goes crazy.  

[apple1964]

How tragic her death was that it could have been prevented.  Her life with the royal family was no bed of roses either.

[drizzellla]

Wonder if Diana ever wore a seat belt. Wish she had.

There was an accident right in front of my husband's company. An SUV hit a lady on a motorcycle. She was sent flying. My husband's car parked in the parking lot stopped her. He of course called the EMT's and tried to assist her but did not want to touch her and make things worse.

They noticed her chest was blowing up. As soon as the EMT's got there, they knew that she had a ripped aorta. They treated her as they were taking her to the hospital.

She survived. They even said that my husband's car helped to save her life too. They said if she hadn't hit his car she would have tumbled on the gravel parking lot for another 100 yards.

I often wondered if our local EMT's were able to treat and save the motorcycle lady. She not only had a ripped aorta but she was also hit twice, once by the SUV and then when she hit my husband's car. She was sent flying and Diana was still contained in the car. Why weren't the Paris EMT's able to help Diana more.

PS - I was sitting at work. My husband called and said "you are going to have to pick me up. I think my car is going to be impounded by the police." I am sitting there not knowing what to think. And my husband in rattling on about maybe charged with manslaughter, I am not understanding what he is telling me. I am thinking my husband did the manslaughter. And I had no words. But as he talked more, I realized it was his car, that was parked in the parking lot.

[Eileen in Virginia]

My friends think I’m a fanatic, but our car doesn’t go anywhere until everyone’s buckled up. Years ago, when my sister was a tween, she was in the back seat of a car that had a head-on collision at less than 20 mph. She hit the windshield and needed a few stitches, but it would have been much worse if the adult driver hadn’t braced the split front seat with his arm just before the crash. I don’t know if they even had seat belts in the back seats then, but it would’ve saved her a trip to the emergency room if they did. 

[Love my grandkids]

This is not new info. I read this within months of her death.

Never understood why a woman, or any parent, would NOT buckle up.