Harry Dunn begged ‘don’t let me die’ after head on crash with US diplomat wife's car, inquest hears
11 June 2024, 15:32 | Updated: 11 June 2024, 16:13
Harry Dunn begged 'don't let me die' after a US diplomat's wife crashed her Volvo into his motorbike an inquest heard today.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The 19-year-old Dunn was killed by Anne Sacoolas when she was driving on the wrong side of the road outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire and crashed into his motorbike in August 2019.
An inquest at Sessions House in Northampton today heard that Harry begged "don't let me die, don't let me die" to passer-by Jennifer Hewitt following the collision.
Ms Hewitt told the inquest she tried to reassure Dunn that help was coming.
"I said 'don't be silly, you're going to be okay - the ambulance is coming'.
"When I was saying he was going to be okay, I genuinely thought he would be because he was taking to me and was able to tell me his age.
"I continued to reassure the motorcyclist that the ambulance was coming and he was going to be okay."
Ms Hewitt added: "He was still very distressed and kept repeating 'don't let me die, don't let me die'."
Dunn later died in hospital.
Ms Hewitt told the inquest that Sacoolas, who had two children in the car when the collision took place, did not go up to Dunn to help him and appeared "very distressed" and "disorientated".
She added Sacoolas "kept saying 'I've had a head-on collision with a motorbike'.
"'It's all my fault. I was on the wrong side of the road'."
The US State Department asserted diplomatic immunity on behalf of Anne Sacoolas and she was able to leave the UK 19 days after the fatal collision.
She appeared before a High Court judge at the Old Bailey via video-link in December 2022, where she pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.
Read more: Moment four ‘dine and dashers’ sneak out of pub without paying £63 bill
It comes as Harry's mother said she was "unspeakably hurt" after Sacoolas refused to give live evidence to his inquest.
Coroner Anne Pember issued the request to US government employee Sacoolas last year in which she invited her to attend remotely on Monday.
Mr Dunn's inquest heard the offer of remote attendance "has not been taken up" on Thursday - four days before the inquest was due to begin.
Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles described the decision as "incomprehensible" and "disrespectful".
Sacoolas has provided a written statement which will be read in court, but her decision not to attend in person means she will not face questions from the family.
