Diana’s Last Moments: French Medic Recalls ‘Tragic Night’

French Emergency Doctor Frederic Maillez, who was first to arrive at the scene of the crash that killed Britain's Diana, Princess of Wales, speaks to The Associated Press, next to the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, in Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. (AP)
French Emergency Doctor Frederic Maillez, who was first to arrive at the scene of the crash that killed Britain's Diana, Princess of Wales, speaks to The Associated Press, next to the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, in Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. (AP)
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Diana’s Last Moments: French Medic Recalls ‘Tragic Night’

French Emergency Doctor Frederic Maillez, who was first to arrive at the scene of the crash that killed Britain's Diana, Princess of Wales, speaks to The Associated Press, next to the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, in Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. (AP)
French Emergency Doctor Frederic Maillez, who was first to arrive at the scene of the crash that killed Britain's Diana, Princess of Wales, speaks to The Associated Press, next to the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, in Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. (AP)

The woman was crumpled on the floor of a mangled Mercedes, unconscious and struggling to breathe. The French doctor had no idea who she was, and focused on trying to save her.

Twenty-five years later, Frederic Mailliez is still marked by what happened in the Alma Tunnel in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997 — and the realization that he was one of the last people to see Princess Diana alive.

“I realize my name will always be attached to this tragic night,” Mailliez, who was on his way home from a party when he came across the car crash, told The Associated Press. “I feel a little bit responsible for her last moments.”

As Britain and Diana’s admirers worldwide mark a quarter-century since her death, Mailliez recounted the aftermath of the crash.

That night, Mailliez was driving into the tunnel when he spotted a smoking Mercedes nearly split in two.

“I walked toward the wreckage. I opened the door, and I looked inside,” he said.

What he saw: “Four people, two of them were apparently dead, no reaction, no breathing, and the two others, on the right side, were living but in severe condition. The front passenger was screaming, he was breathing. He could wait a few minutes. And the female passenger, the young lady, was on her knees on the floor of the Mercedes, she had her head down. She had difficulty breathing. She needed quick assistance.”

He ran to his car to call emergency services and grab a respiratory bag.

“She was unconscious,” he said. “Thanks to my respiratory bag (...) she regained a little bit more energy, but she couldn’t say anything.”

The doctor would later find out the news — along with the rest of the world — that the woman he treated was Diana, Britain’s national treasure adored by millions.

“I know it’s surprising, but I didn’t recognize Princess Diana,” he said. “I was in the car on the rear seat giving assistance. I realized she was very beautiful, but my attention was so focused on what I had to do to save her life, I didn’t have time to think, who was this woman.”

“Someone behind me told me the victims spoke English, so I began to speak English, saying I was a doctor and I called the ambulance,” he said. “I tried to comfort her.”

As he worked, he noticed the flash of camera bulbs, of paparazzi gathered to document the scene. A British inquest found Diana’s chauffeur, Henri Paul, was drunk and driving at a high speed to elude pursuing photographers.

Mailliez said he had “no reproach” toward the photographers’ actions after the crash. “They didn’t hamper me having access to the victims. ... I didn’t ask them for help, but they didn’t interfere with my job.”

Firefighters quickly came, and Diana was taken to a Paris hospital, where she died a few hours later. Her companion Dodi Fayed and the driver also died.

“It was a massive shock to learn that she was Princess Diana, and that she died,” Mailliez said. Then self-doubt set in. “Did I do everything I could to save her? Did I do correctly my job?” he asked himself. “I checked with my medical professors and I checked with police investigators,” he said, and they agreed he did all he could.

The anniversary is stirring up those memories again, but they also come back “each time I drive through the Alma Tunnel,” he said.

As Mailliez spoke, standing atop the tunnel, cars rushed in and out past the pillar where she crashed, now bearing a stencil drawing of Diana’s face.

The Flame of Liberty monument nearby has become a memorial site attracting Diana fans of all generations and nationalities. She has become a timeless figure of emancipation and a fashion icon even for those born after her death.

Irinia Ouahvi, a 16-year-old Parisian visiting the flame, said she knows Diana through TikTok videos and through her mother.

“Even with her style she was a feminist. She challenged royal etiquette, wearing cyclist shorts and casual pants,” Ouahvi said.

Francine Rose, a Dutch 16-year-old who stopped by Diana’s memorial while on a biking trip in Paris, discovered her story thanks to “The Princess,” a recent film starring Kristen Stewart.

“She is an inspiration because she was evolving in the strict household, the royal family, and just wanted to be free,” Rose said.



Scientists Predict Major Quake in Chile’s Mineral-Rich North 

Bikers observe a bridge that collapsed in an earthquake in Concepcion some 100 km (62 miles) south of the epicenter, February 27, 2010. (Reuters)
Bikers observe a bridge that collapsed in an earthquake in Concepcion some 100 km (62 miles) south of the epicenter, February 27, 2010. (Reuters)
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Scientists Predict Major Quake in Chile’s Mineral-Rich North 

Bikers observe a bridge that collapsed in an earthquake in Concepcion some 100 km (62 miles) south of the epicenter, February 27, 2010. (Reuters)
Bikers observe a bridge that collapsed in an earthquake in Concepcion some 100 km (62 miles) south of the epicenter, February 27, 2010. (Reuters)

Fifteen years ago on February 27, a devastating 8.8 magnitude quake struck southern Chile off the coast of Concepcion, shaking the ground for four minutes and unleashing a tsunami that left 550 dead.

It was the deadliest natural disaster in the country since the 1960 9.5 magnitude quake, the strongest ever recorded in the world. Now scientists are expecting a big earthquake in the country's mineral-rich north.

Chile is the world's largest copper producer and second-largest lithium producer. The country's largest copper mines are located in the north as well as all of its lithium production.

"Every 10 years there's a big event," said Felipe Leyton, a seismologist at the University of Chile, adding that there are areas of the country that build up a lot of geological stress through fault lines.

"This lets you see the potential for a big earthquake that lets us say in the short term, in seismic and geological terms, we're expecting a big earthquake in the northern part of the country."

Chile, a long and skinny country spanning 4,300 km (2,672 miles) in length with an average width of 180 km (112 miles), has the Andes mountain range running all along its western border.

Chile is located on the seismically active Ring of Fire that surrounds the Pacific Ocean. Its mountains and earthquakes are the product of the Nazca and South American tectonic plates crashing into each other all along the length of Chile.

Dr. Mohama Ayaz, a geologist and geospatial engineer at the University of Santiago of Chile, says GPS technology lets scientists monitor plate movement for any variation and anticipate possible seismic events.

"We obviously can't say exactly when, but we can anticipate them," Ayaz said. "Earthquakes are the result of built-up stress and that stress depends on the last time since the last seismic event."

Ayaz noted there has not been a large release in the north of the country like there was in the southern part of the country in 2010.

"So what we're expecting in the short term, is an earthquake in the north, we can't say when, but we can wait for it," Ayaz said.