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Survivor of Diana crash files suit, sources say
October 16, 1997
Web posted at: 10:04 a.m. EDT (1404 GMT)PARIS (CNN) -- The lone survivor of the crash that killed Princess Diana has filed suit to seek damages for injuries suffered in the accident, judicial sources said Thursday.
Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, 29, joined the criminal inquiry as a civil party, which under French law would allow him access to all court papers and to sue for damages, the sources said.
Rees-Jones suffered extensive facial injuries and other injuries, as well as partial amnesia in the August 31 crash that also killed Diana's boyfriend Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul. The bodyguard spent more than a month in a Paris hospital.
Investigators have hoped Rees-Jones eventually will recall more about what happened in the moments before the crash -- in particular the actions of paparazzi pursuing the car and of the driver who was legally drunk at the time of the accident.
During two interrogations in the hospital, Rees-Jones gave police details about the night of the accident but could not recall the actual crash.
Now that Rees-Jones has filed suit, investigators cannot interrogate him without his lawyer present.
In another development, the sources said the attorney representing the Fayed family, Bernard Dartevelle, has asked the judge in the case to give him access to all videos taken by banks, government offices or news organizations on the route the Mercedes took from the Ritz hotel to the spot where it crashed.
No charges have been filed in the crash. But nine photographers and a motorcycle courier have been placed under formal investigation for manslaughter and failure to assist people in danger.
Investigators also are looking for a small car, possibly a Fiat Uno, that may have collided with the Mercedes and caused the driver to lose control.
Rees-Jones was released from the hospital on October 3 and is currently in England.
Related stories:
- Diana's bodyguard returns to Britain - October 3, 1997
- Bodyguard recalls details leading up to wreck - October 2, 1997
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