Tragedy as British woman, 77, dies in horror crash while taking part in car rally in France when Audi driver crashes into Mazda MX-5 while being driven by husband, 82 – as he fights for his life in hospital
- The tragic incident took place on Saturday, June 22, in the town of Orches
A British woman was killed and her elderly husband left in a critical condition after they suffered a brutal crash at a vintage car rally in western France this weekend.
The tragic incident occurred on Saturday, June 22, around noon when two men in an Audi A3 traveling at high speed hit the couple’s red Mazda MX-5, meters away from an intersection on the D757 in Orches, Nord-Vienne .
Harrowing footage showed the small red convertible collapsing on impact, while the Audi fell onto its roof and also sustained significant damage.
The British passenger, 77, was pulled from her mangled convertible with her husband – which was driving at the time of the sickening crash – and the pair were rushed to hospital, but doctors said she was in cardiac arrest on arrival and not more could be treated. stored.
Her partner, 82, is still in a coma after undergoing life-saving surgery for a collapsed lung, a hospital source said. La Nouvelle Republique that his prognosis remains uncertain.
The tragic incident took place around noon on Saturday, June 22, when two men in an Audi A3 traveling at high speed hit the couple’s red Mazda MX-5 at an intersection in Orches, Nord-Vienne.
Their fatal collision with the Audi A3 occurred near an intersection on a stretch of straight asphalt in Orches, and investigators believe the driver of the Audi A3 was driving erratically.
Authorities are now reviewing dashcam footage recovered from the wreckage of the Mazda MX-5 to determine the exact circumstances of the crash.
The two occupants of the Audi – a 26-year-old Spaniard born in Ecuador and a 35-year-old whose nationality remains unclear – suffered fractures in the crash but escaped without life-threatening injuries.
They are both charged with involuntary manslaughter, but neither accepts responsibility and refuses to tell police which of them was behind the wheel, according to French media reports.
The accident took place on this stretch of road, a few meters away from an intersection next to a house called ‘La Folie’.
One of the men reportedly had his driver’s license suspended at the time of the accident, but it is currently unclear which man was driving the Audi.
Michel Loreille, the chairman of the Chinon Classic rally in which the elderly Britons took part, expressed deep sadness over the incident.
‘The couple were regular participants and had attended our rally for the past four or five years. About a third of our participants are British,” Loreille said.
French authorities have worked with the British Consulate to inform the families of the victims.
Researchers said this process has been complicated by Brexit-related administrative challenges.