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LOS ANGELES, California - The Porsche carrying "Fast & Furious" star Paul Walker was traveling at 145km/h when it went out of control on a suburban street and crashed, killing the actor and his friend, reports
Video: Paul Walker tribute
That's the report of from an investigation into the November 2013 crash by law enforcement agencies .
The sports car slammed into a street-light pole which, perhaps ironically, had a 70km/h speed limit warning attached to it. The car caught fire and the charred bodies of Walker and friend Roger Rodas were later pulled from the wreckage.
NO MECHANICAL FAILURE
Investigators concluded that unsafe driving, not mechanical problems, caused the crash, according to a person who has reviewed a report by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and California Highway Patrol. Investigators calculated that Rodas was driving at somewhere between 130 and 150km/h when his 2005 Porsche Carrera GT began to drift out of control coming out of a curve.
Highway Patrol crash-reconstruction specialists, according to the informant who requested anonymity because the report has not been officially released: "The vehicle had no mechanical failure and the damage that occurred to the vehicle was from the crash."
A Sheriff's Department spokesperson said on March 25 that no new information about the crash was available for release. "We will have something in the very near future," the spokesperson said. The Highway Patrol department had no comment.
The Associated Press reported in December 2013 that investigators found no evidence that the car had mechanical problems and ruled out debris or other road conditions. Porsche sent engineers to California to review the rare car's wreckage; it was badly mangled and burned but a thorough analysis was done.
No problems were found in the car's electrical systems, brakes, accelerator, fuel system, steering, suspension or other systems.
Porsche declined to comment further.
CONDITION ISSUES
The conclusion about the speed was based on a "yaw" mark on the road that one of the car's tyres left on the road in office park in Santa Clarita, about 50km/h north-west of central Los Angeles. Witnesses told a sheriff's deputy after the crash that they thought the car could have been traveling in excess of 160km/h.
Post-crash investigators noted several issues with the condition of the car, which had several prior owners, including IndyCar driver Graham Rahal:
• Its original exhaust system had been modified in a way that could allow it to go faster, but also could have been done to change its sound.
• Its tyres were about nine years old; the owner's manual suggests changing the them after four years.
• Its left rear brake rotor was worn below manufacturer specifications but that did not contribute to the crash.
Rodas, 38, and Walker, 40, had taken what was supposed to be a quick ride from an event to raise money for Reach Out Worldwide, a Walker charity that gives first-response aid to victims of natural disasters. The crash occurred near the event and horrified people there.
Rodas was Walker's financial adviser but they shared a love of fast cars. They co-owned an auto racing team named after Rodas' shop, Always Evolving, and Rodas drove professionally for the team on the Pirelli World Challenge circuit in 2013.
Walker starred in all but one of the six "Fast & Furious" movies which glorify powerful cars and risky driving.
Video: Paul Walker tribute
That's the report of from an investigation into the November 2013 crash by law enforcement agencies .
The sports car slammed into a street-light pole which, perhaps ironically, had a 70km/h speed limit warning attached to it. The car caught fire and the charred bodies of Walker and friend Roger Rodas were later pulled from the wreckage.
NO MECHANICAL FAILURE
Investigators concluded that unsafe driving, not mechanical problems, caused the crash, according to a person who has reviewed a report by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and California Highway Patrol. Investigators calculated that Rodas was driving at somewhere between 130 and 150km/h when his 2005 Porsche Carrera GT began to drift out of control coming out of a curve.
Highway Patrol crash-reconstruction specialists, according to the informant who requested anonymity because the report has not been officially released: "The vehicle had no mechanical failure and the damage that occurred to the vehicle was from the crash."
A Sheriff's Department spokesperson said on March 25 that no new information about the crash was available for release. "We will have something in the very near future," the spokesperson said. The Highway Patrol department had no comment.
The Associated Press reported in December 2013 that investigators found no evidence that the car had mechanical problems and ruled out debris or other road conditions. Porsche sent engineers to California to review the rare car's wreckage; it was badly mangled and burned but a thorough analysis was done.
No problems were found in the car's electrical systems, brakes, accelerator, fuel system, steering, suspension or other systems.
Porsche declined to comment further.
CONDITION ISSUES
The conclusion about the speed was based on a "yaw" mark on the road that one of the car's tyres left on the road in office park in Santa Clarita, about 50km/h north-west of central Los Angeles. Witnesses told a sheriff's deputy after the crash that they thought the car could have been traveling in excess of 160km/h.
Post-crash investigators noted several issues with the condition of the car, which had several prior owners, including IndyCar driver Graham Rahal:
• Its original exhaust system had been modified in a way that could allow it to go faster, but also could have been done to change its sound.
• Its tyres were about nine years old; the owner's manual suggests changing the them after four years.
• Its left rear brake rotor was worn below manufacturer specifications but that did not contribute to the crash.
Rodas, 38, and Walker, 40, had taken what was supposed to be a quick ride from an event to raise money for Reach Out Worldwide, a Walker charity that gives first-response aid to victims of natural disasters. The crash occurred near the event and horrified people there.
Rodas was Walker's financial adviser but they shared a love of fast cars. They co-owned an auto racing team named after Rodas' shop, Always Evolving, and Rodas drove professionally for the team on the Pirelli World Challenge circuit in 2013.
Walker starred in all but one of the six "Fast & Furious" movies which glorify powerful cars and risky driving.
