Rescuer tells of Diana’s accident

A HERO firefighter who heard Princess Diana’s final words has told how he thought he had saved her life by giving her CPR moments after the fatal Paris car crash.

British newspaper The Sun reports Xavier Gourmelon, 50, said the princess was conscious and had her eyes open as he pulled her from a wrecked Mercedes – only to suffer a cardiac arrest as she was placed gently on a stretcher.

He managed to resuscitate her. But he was horrified when told later that the 36-year-old princess had died.

Xavier, who spent 22 years as a Paris firefighter, has spoken in public of the August 31, 1997 crash only once before – in evidence to Diana’s inquest in 2007.

But, he said, he felt able to give his first newspaper interview 20 years later as he was no longer with the fire service.

Xavier said he initially had no idea he was treating the princess at the crash scene inside the Pont de l’Alma tunnel, close to the Malar fire station, where he was duty officer.

The dad of two said: “We were very close to there and it took less than three minutes to reach it.

“The woman, who I later found out was Princess Diana, was on the floor in the back. She was moving very slightly and I could see she was alive.

“I could see she had a slight injury to her right shoulder but, other than that, there was nothing significant. There was no blood on her at all.

“I held her hand and told her to be calm and keep still, I said I was there to help and reassured her. She said, ‘My God, what’s happened?’

“I gave her some oxygen and my team and I stayed by her side as she was taken out of the car. It was very quick because we didn’t have to cut any of the wreckage.’’

But moments later the stricken princess stopped breathing.

Xavier, now in charge of emergency services at Brest airport, said: “We are all trained to give first aid.

“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.

“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 hospital. It was very upsetting.

“I know now that there were serious internal injuries, but the whole episode is still very much in my mind.

“And the memory of that night will stay with me forever.”

I MASSAGED HER HEART AND A FEW SECONDS LATER SHE STARTED BREATHING AGAIN XAVIER GOURMELON