Posted on 10/15/2007 11:14:27 AM PDT by UKrepublican
Diana inquest: Witness saw 'major white flash' just before crash
A motorist who witnessed the crash which killed Diana, Princess of Wales recalled today that he saw a "major white flash" in the Alma underpass.
Francois Levistre was driving in front of the Mercedes when the fatal collision happened in the Paris tunnel more than 10 years ago in August 1997.
Speaking by video link from the French capital for the inquest into the deaths of Diana and her lover Dodi Fayed, Mr Levistre described how the Princess's car was overtaken by a motorbike inside the underpass.
He told the jury he saw a very bright flash - like the light from a police radar - and it had been directed at the Mercedes.
Mr Levistre said, speaking through a translator: "I realised there was this major white flash of the motorbike in front of the Mercedes, in front of the car.
"I was nearly at the exit of the tunnel and I realised that because I heard the noise of the motorbike within the tunnel."
"I just wondered what happened because the light was like you were caught by the police in a radar," he added. Ian Burnett QC, counsel for the inquest, asked: "This flash was very bright?"
Mr Levistre replied: "Very. The light even came into my car."
He added: "The light was not directed towards me. It was directed towards the car which was behind."
The witness, who saw the events in his rear view mirror, described how the Mercedes veered from side to side before it turned around.
"When I saw the light, I looked into the mirror... I saw the car going from left to right to left again to get within the pillar.
"The car had no light any longer. Everything was switched off."
Mr Levistre, who stopped near the exit from the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, saw the motorcycle passenger get off, approach the car, look inside, and make a hand gesture to the bike's driver before they drove away.
He told the jury, sitting at the High Court in London, that the bike's occupants looked at him before passing his vehicle and leaving the underpass.
Mr Levistre also said he saw a small white car in the tunnel, but maintained that there was no contact between this and the Mercedes.
He could not confirm that it was a Fiat Uno.
Mr Levistre was with his wife, their daughter Marie-Agnes and her boyfriend - now husband - David Le Ny, on a night out in Paris at the time.
They were walking back to their car from the Eiffel Tower nearby.
Mrs Catheline said: "When they were already in the tunnel, under the bridge we heard noises like two cars bumping each other."
Mr Le Ny said he remembered seeing a large dark car speeding towards them into the tunnel.
"It was going very fast, I remember the noise coming from the engine... I certainly made a comment, stating that they were crazy or something like that."
Mr and Mrs Catheline also told how they had seen a man running towards them into the tunnel almost immediately after the crash.
The inquest also heard how the Princess of Wales's Mercedes may have "bumped" another large, dark car as it entered the tunnel.
Jean-Claude Catheline and his wife Annick told the inquest that they saw two dark cars travelling quickly side-by-side into the Pont de l'Alma Tunnel in Paris in the early hours of August 31 1997.
Speaking by video link from the French capital they revealed how they heard the sound of a collision as they walked on a grassy embankment near the entrance to the underpass.
Moments later, Mr Catheline heard the sound of tyres screeching as the Mercedes carrying Diana and Dodi crashed. He told the inquest sitting at the High Court in London: "As soon as the car disappeared from our view we heard what sounded like the bodywork bumping, I think that this noise was before the car entered the tunnel."
In an excerpt from his original police statement, read to the court by Richard Horwell QC, he said: "Almost immediately I heard a second noise, very, very loud, quite different from the first, it was a dull noise and followed by a second, identical noise."
Mr Catheline added, as he addressed the court: "I heard the tyres screeching on the road." The couple were with their daughter Marie-Agnes and her boyfriend - now husband - David Le Ny, on a night out in Paris at the time.
They were walking back to their car from the Eiffel Tower nearby.
Mrs Catheline said: "When they were already in the tunnel, under the bridge we heard noises like two cars bumping each other."
Mr Le Ny said he remembered seeing a large dark car speeding towards them into the tunnel.
"It was going very fast, I remember the noise coming from the engine... I certainly made a comment, stating that they were crazy or something like that."
Mr and Mrs Catheline also told how they had seen a man running towards them into the tunnel almost immediately after the crash.
Why is this even a news story? OK a lot of people liked her but for crying out loud it was 10 years ago. No wonder people are so clueless about politics and issues in this country when so much media coverage is devoted to Diana, Britney Spears, Anna Nicole, Lindsay Lohan, etc.
that is a lie....I have seen the tapes and he was fine.
She is gone May she Rest in Peace Why don’t these Hounds let her and others involved Rest why does everything have to be a conspiracy or some screwed theorised event ?
She is gone May she Rest in Peace Why don’t these Hounds let her and others involved Rest why does everything have to be a conspiracy or some screwed theorised event ?
The CCTV doesn’t show that at all. He appears perfectly steady.
Not that that doesn’t mean he could be drunk.
That’s what I wondered — did the flash cause the automatic lights to go off for a moment?
I have to admit I wasn't against him till made this stupid accusation. And to keep it going, when it was his car, his driver and his lack of security that killed her, makes him more responsible than anyone.
Two words: grassy knoll!
At this point, I wouldn’t trust any witnesses. Aside from the fact that it’s been 10 years and memories fade, I just wouldn’t put it past anyone to be a *witness* just for publicities sake.
One word: suicide.
I’m with you on this. None of this is going to bring her back. The only one that’s worse is Elvis....
Stayed the same? Have you been there? Do you know the outstanding sales success it achieves?
I’m sorry but that was a ludicrous comment Deb.
In heaven Diana is married to Elvis! (Or maybe James Dean.)
Because she had obviously been drinking too, and MADD is really just a prohibitionist organization utilizing the baby step method. But when has a little conflict of interest ever stopped a totalitarian organization from doing anything "for the cause"?
Balderdash!
It was inside a tunnel, which is significant, and being at night, all the more so.
It was the work of DEROS (DEtrimental RObotS).
They live underground, inside huge caverns, and come forth to destroy TEROS (TErestrial RObotS) which live on the surface. Obviously, they, as often happens, detrimentally involved humans in an operation against TEROS in the Paris area.
Warning: wearing tinfoil has no protective effect against DEROS, since they do not use mind control techniques.
If you don't beleive me, just look up Richard Sharpe Shaver, and get the entire, TRUE story of these ghastly remnants of the Lemurian Titans!
That would be a 'yes'.
The drunk driver of her car killed her ... and his decision to drive the car at an outrageously high speed. No one MADE the driver drive that fast. He could have handled it if he was driving cautiously.
Paparazzi following you do not make you speed.
Seat belts. Good point. In the photo at post 17 with Diana turned around, it would seem that she didn’t have her belt on.
“Where is Major White Flash now?....India?”
Golly gee Batman, he could be on his way to Gotham City.
I have been there, before and after. I don't care if he was selling solid-gold knickers for 2 quid; it is ludicrous to admire an insidious cultural infiltrator because of his commercial success. That is called "selling out."
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