A British woman was killed and her elderly husband left in critical condition after they suffered a ... View MoreA British woman was killed and her elderly husband left in critical condition after they suffered a brutal crash during
a vintage car rally in western France this weekend.
The tragic incident unfolded on Saturday, June 22 around midday when two
men in an Audi A3 travelling at high speed hit the couple's
red Mazda MX-5 metres away from a junction on the D757 road in Orches, Nord-Vienne.
Harrowing images showed how the small red convertible had crumpled upon impact, while the Audi was flipped on its roof and also
suffered significant damage.
The British passenger, 77, was pulled out of her mangled convertible
alongside her husband - who was driving at the time of the
sickening collision - and the pair were rushed
to hospital, but doctors said she was in cardiac arrest upon arrival and
could not be saved.
Her partner, 82, remains in a coma after undergoing lifesaving surgery for a collapsed
lung, with a hospital source telling La Nouvelle Republique that his prognosis remains uncertain.
The tragic incident unfolded on Saturday, June 22 around midday when two men in an Audi
A3 travelling at high speed hit the couple's red Mazda MX-5 at a junction in Orches,
Nord-Vienne
Their fatal smash with the Audi A3 took place close to a crossroads on a stretch of straight tarmac in Orches,
and investigators believe the driver of the Audi A3 was driving erratically.
Authorities are now reviewing footage from a dashcam pulled out of
the wreckage of the Mazda MX-5 to establish 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
- sustained fractures in the crash but escaped without life-threatening injuries.
They are both facing charges of involuntary manslaughter,
but neither are accepting responsibility and are refusing
to tell police which of them was behind the wheel, according
to French media reports.
The crash took place on this stretch of road, metres away from a junction next to a
house named 'La Folie'
One of the men was reportedly subject to a driving licence suspension at
the time of the crash, but it is currently unclear which man was piloting the Audi.
Michel Loreille, the president of the Chinon Classic
rally in which the elderly Brits were participating, expressed deep sorrow over
the incident.
'The couple were regular participants, attending our rally for the
past four or five years. About a third of our participants are British,' Loreille said.
French authorities have been coordinating with the British consulate to
inform the victims' families.
Investigators said that process has been complicated by Brexit-related administrative challenges.
France
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A British woman was killed and her elderly husband left in critical condition after they suffered a ... View More