Reflecting on Loss: The Story of the Sole Survivor

August 31, 1997 was a traumatic day for the global community with the loss of Britain’s princess who had so quickly become an international icon.  It is thus interesting to recall the two other victims who were also killed in the fatal car accident: Diana’s boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz, Henri Paul.  While Fayed and Paul died in the wreck instantaneously, Diana sustained massive internal injuries that led to her death.

It is remarkable that there was one survivor in this accident, which left their vehicle (pictured above) virtually irrecognizable to police: Dodi’s personal bodyguard, Trevor Reese-Jones.  He did not, however, escape the accident unscathed: his face was flattened, with numerous bones broken and crushed .

After several months in the hospital and years of recovery, he quit his job as a bodyguard and moved to north England to work in a family run store.  He soon wrote a book The Bodyguard’s Story: Diana, the Crash, and the Sole Survivor about his experiences.  Having suffered brain damage, he reconstructed the events from partial memories and those of his family and friends in an attempt to clarify what exactly occurred before, during, and immediately following the tragic car accident.

After the excruciating pain of both the accident and the inquest, which is discussed in greater detail in the next page, Jones has remained out of the spotlight as he continues to adjust to a more normal life.