Diana Crash Investigation Widens
Sept. 23, 1998The investigation into the crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales, took another turn when bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones filed suit against the Ritz Hotel and a car service for "endangering the lives of others," according to press reports.
The legal move by Rees-Jones could force French officials to widen their investigation, which has been underway for more than one year. Although the investigation was expected to be completed in October, this new suit may prolong the inquiry.
In his suit, Rees-Jones blames both the Ritz and Etoile-Limousine for "failing to provide a licensed driver" for the Mercedes in which the princess was riding. Driver Henri Paul, who also died in the crash, was not licensed to drive the Mercedes in which Diana and Dodi Fayed were killed. The legal action marked the first time that the Ritz management and the car company have been legally targeted for responsibility in the crash.
A test of driver Henri Paul's blood indicated that he was highly intoxicated at the time of the wreck and had been taking prozac and another drug used in France to treat recovering alcohlics.
Conspiracies Theories Abound
This move by Rees-Jones may have been in response to a recent statement by Ritz Hotel owner and Dodi's father, Mohamed Fayed that his bodyguards were responsible for the death of the couple, an accusation that was immediately denied by the two bodyguards.In other developments in the investigation, which has already produced several conspiracy theories Fayad offered a $20 million reward after it was rumored that driver Henri Paul may have been a British M-16 agent. Investigators are also puzzled that Henri Paul's blood contained unusually high level of carbon monoxide, while Diana's and Dodi's blood did not.
Under French law, the suit filed by Rees-Jones could open up the Hotel and the car service to civil suit liability when the investigators make their final report to the courts.
