Princess Diana's tragic death on August 31, 1997, sparked questions about
her final moments. Firefighter Xavier Gourmelon, speaking to The Sun, shared
insights into the late Princess's last words after the car crash in the Pont de
l'Alma tunnel in Paris.
Gourmelon revealed that he initially didn't realize that the conscious woman
he rescued from the car was Princess Diana. It was n't until she was in the
ambulance that he learned of her identity.
Recalling the moment, he said she looked at the scene and asked, "My God, what's happened?" She then went into cardiac arrest.
"I massaged her heart, and a few seconds later, she started breathing again.
It was a relief, of course, because, as a first responder, you want to save
lives — and that's what I thought I had done "
While transporting her to the hospital, Gourmelon believed Princess Diana would survive, only to later discover that she had passed away.
"To be honest, I thought she would live. As far as I knew when she was in the ambulance, she was alive, and I expected her to live. But I found out later she had died in the hospital. It was very upsetting "
Gourmelon noted that despite the serious internal injuries, the memory of that night and the belief that he could have saved her will stay with him forever.
