Britain's Princess Diana died early Sunday, August 31, 1997, after suffering massive internal injuries in a high-speed car crash, reportedly after being chased by photographers who were trying to snap photographs of the princess. Her companion and rumored lover, Dodi Fayed, and their chauffeur also died when the Mercedes crashed shortly after midnight in a tunnel along the Seine river at the Pont de l'Alma bridge, less than a half mile north of the Eiffel Tower. A fourth person in the car, a bodyguard of the princess, was also seriously injured. The 36-year-old princess died from internal bleeding stemming from major chest, lung and head injuries.
Conclusion of Investigation into Crash:
In September '99, French judge, Herve Stephay, dismissed all charges against nine photographers and a press motorcyclist implicated in the car crash that killed Princess Diana, ending the two-year investigation. Stephay concluded that the accident was 'due to the fact that the driver, Henri Paul, of the car was inebriated and under the effects of drugs incompatible with alcohol, which did not allow him to maintain control of his vehicle'. Stephan also concluded that Dodi's decision to order a drunken off-duty security official to drive the Mercedes, also contributed to the crash.
Mohamed Al Fayed, Dodi's father and the owner of the Ritz Hotel that leased the vehicle, appealed the decision.