Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jeremy Irons tells of battle to avoid crash

Thursday 03 April 1997 23:02 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Jeremy Irons, the Oscar-winning actor, described yesterday how he fought to avoid a car crash which led to a pensioner's death.

The star told an inquest in Oxford how he swerved hard, then shut his eyes as his Czech-built Umm four-wheel drive vehicle crashed head-on with a Nissan Sunny car at an accident blackspot last September.

His car flipped on to its side beside the B4012 near Tetsworth, Oxfordshire, and Irons, of nearby Watlington, walked away virtually unscathed. The driver of the other vehicle, Richard Belgrove, 79, suffered multiple injuries and died in hospital a month later. His wife Doris, 83, who had been a front-seat passenger, survived.

Mr Irons told the inquest. "I closed my eyes and when I opened them my jeep was on its side." Nicholas Gardiner, the coroner, recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in