date location imagesize result image_caption deaths article_title event_name image_name
31 august 1997 pont de l'alma , paris , france 300px diana . and dodi unlawfully killed ; trevor rees-jones survived the the site where diana was fatally injured . entrance to the pont de l'alma tunnel , diana , princess of wales dodi fayed henri paul death of diana , princess of wales
 death of diana , princess of wales alma tunnel paris.jpg
death of diana , princess of wales

on 31 august 1997 , diana , princess of wales died as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash in the pont de l'alma road tunnel in paris , france .
her friend , dodi fayed , and the driver of the mercedes-benz w140 , henri paul , were pronounced dead at the scene ; the bodyguard of diana and dodi , trevor rees-jones , was the only survivor .
although the media blamed the paparazzi following the car , an 18-month french judicial investigation found that the crash was caused by paul , who lost control of the car at high speed while drunk .
paul was the deputy head of security at the hôtel ritz and had earlier goaded the paparazzi waiting outside the hotel .
his inebriation may have been exacerbated by anti-depressants and traces of a tranquilizing anti-psychotic in his body .
the investigation concluded that the photographers were not near the mercedes when it crashed .
since february 1998 , dodi 's father , mohamed al-fayed -lrb- the owner of the hôtel ritz , for which henri paul worked -rrb- has claimed that the crash was a result of a conspiracy , and later contended that the crash was orchestrated by mi6 on the instructions of the royal family .
his claims were dismissed by a french judicial investigation and by operation paget , a metropolitan police service inquiry that concluded in 2006 .
an inquest headed by lord justice scott baker into the deaths of diana and dodi began at the royal courts of justice , london , on 2 october 2007 , a continuation of the inquest that began in 2004 .
on 7 april 2008 , the jury concluded that diana and dodi were the victims of an `` unlawful killing '' by the `` grossly negligent '' chauffeur henri paul and the drivers of the following vehicles .
additional factors were `` the impairment of the judgment of the driver of the mercedes through alcohol '' and `` the death of the deceased was caused or contributed to by the fact that the deceased was not wearing a seat-belt , the fact that the mercedes struck the pillar in the alma tunnel rather than colliding with something else '' .
