Paul Walker dead at 40

[RePete]

What a way to go, burned to death. What I don't get is why that GT burst into flames. Maybe it was too expensive to be crash tested effectively, or they must have had some serious speed. I smell a possible Porsche lawsuit.

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Paul Walker, 40, ‘Fast & Furious’ Star, Dies in Car Crash

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 30, 2013 at 11:45 PM ET

LOS ANGELES — Paul Walker, the star of the "Fast & Furious" movie series, died Saturday in a car crash that killed one other person outside of Los Angeles. He was 40.

Walker's publicist Ame Van Iden confirmed the actor's death Saturday afternoon. A statement on Walker's Facebook page said he was a passenger in a friend's car, Roger Rodas, and that Walker was in the area to attend a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide which Rodas assisted in getting off the ground. Rodas was also the CEO of Always Evolving, a performance shop for high end vehicles owned by Walker, located in Valencia.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that speed was a factor in the crash. Burned rubber and doughnut marks were found in figure 8 patterns on the road of the crash site, but it was not clear to officials if these were related to the crash.

Deputies found a red Porsche Carrera GT engulfed in flames when they responded to a report of a collision in the community of Valencia, north of Los Angeles. Two people who were found in the car were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Santa Clarita Valley Signal reported that the Porsche crashed into a light pole and tree and burst into flames. The fundraiser, to benefit victims of Typhoon Haiyan, took place at a nearby racecar shop. Attendees rushed to put out the flames with fire extinguishers to no avail.

"All of us at Universal are heartbroken," Universal Pictures, which has released the "Fast & Furious" franchise, said in a statement. "Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years, and this loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the 'Fast and Furious' films, and to countless fans."

His "Fast & Furious" co-star Vin Diesel posted a photograph of him and Walker arm-in-arm on Instagram with the message: "Brother I will miss you very much. I am absolutely speechless."

Walker continually drew praise from his co-stars and directors as a kind-hearted and eager collaborator. "Your humble spirit was felt from the start," Ludacris, Walker's "Fast & Furious" co-star, said on Twitter. "Wherever you blessed your presence you always left a mark, we were like brothers."

Walker is survived by his 15-year-old daughter.

[MRII]

Sad news, I liked the F&F movies as cheesy as they were.
RIP

[immorality]

RIP. All car enthusiasts loved those movies even though they were full of Hollywood cheese. He will be greatly missed because he was a genuine car enthusiast and racer.

[dh4ever]

He loved to spend his time in Japan building and playing with GTRs. He will be missed.

[m_b]

RIP Paul Walker.

He was a gear head off the screens as well. I'm one of the younger guys here - Fast and the Furious was what got me into cars. Gone but never forgotten.

[RePete]

Paul Walker crash detailed in coroner's report

USA TODAY 5:33 p.m. EST January 3, 2014

Paul Walker was traveling more than 100 miles per hour when the Porsche Carrera GT in which he was a passenger spun out of control and crashed on Nov. 30, according to a report by the Los Angeles County Coroner released on Friday.

The Santa Clarita, Calif., crash killed the Fast & Furious actor and the car's driver, Walker's friend and business partner Roger Rodas.

The coroner report states that neither Rodas, 38, nor Walker, 40, had alcohol, cocaine, marijuana or other impairing drugs in their system.

The report notes that the driver, Rodas, was traveling at an "unsafe speed" and lost control of the car "for unknown reasons."

After the crash into a tree and a lamp post "the vehicle was almost split in half…the majority of the vehicle was also charred" in the powerful fire that followed.

The autopsy report concluded that the cause of the death was the "effect of traumatic and thermal injuries." It was ruled "an accident" by Lawrence Nguyen, deputy medical examiner.

The injuries to Walker in the passenger seat were horrific, as only remnants of the outfit he was wearing following a charity function he hosted were intact -- a black t-shirt, black jeans and grey boxer shorts. Walker was found "charred' and in a defensive "pugilistic stance."

The traumatic injuries included a fractured left mandible and left clavicle, multiple rib and pelvic fractures and a non-displaced spinal fracture.

Burns on Rodas' body covered 100 percent "of total body surface."

The crash occurred after Rodas and Walker took the Porsche for a drive following a fundraising event for Walker's Reach Out Worldwide charity.

Universal halted production of the mega franchise Fast & Furious halfway through filming the seventh edition with Walker in his usual starring role.

The film production was halted indefinitely and the release was delayed a year until April 10, 2015.