Traffic accidents remain a leading cause of death in the United States for children and adults aged 1 – 54. With their expensive cars and personal drivers, even famous people fall victims to car crashes.

One of the most well-known celebrities who died from a terrible road incident was James Dean in his Porsche 550 Spyder. On September 30, 1955, he died when his car crashed into another on U.S. Route 466 (now Route 46).

Dean was en route to compete in the Salinas Road Races event. The list doesn’t stop there; it includes big names like Diana – The Princess of Wales, Jayne Mansfield, Grace Kelly, and Paul Walker.

Both James Dean and Paul Walker were movie stars and car lovers. Walker died in a terrible car crash on November 30, 2013.

Further investigation into the incident revealed that he was still alive immediately after the incident and then burned to death.

The study concluded that the car was traveling at around 130km/h – 150km/h through a 72km/h speed zone on Hercules Street in the neighborhood of Valencia in Santa Clarita, California.

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10 /10 Reach Out Worldwide

On the morning of Saturday, November 30, 2013, Paul Walker was busy and happy attending an event held for Reach Out Worldwide, a network of first-responders he created in 2010.

More than 300 people showed up; most were still grappling with the chaos brought about by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Attendees said Walker seemed overwhelmed at the response and talked with employees and fans. The venue for the event was the warehouse of Always Evolving, an exotic car business in which Walker had a considerable stake.

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9 /10 Just Under 200

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight in May 2013, Walker said the fastest he had ever driven was 197.

The Fast & Furious star further explained how he pushed the right car with a lot of power, but unfortunately, the aerodynamics just wasn’t good enough to break the 200 mark.

When asked whether his dream car was vintage, Walker preferred modern technology because speed and precision were most important to him. In his words, old-school cars lumber. He said, “I’m more of a performance guy.”






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8 /10 Always Evolving

Throughout the day during the event, Always Evolving posted photos of its cars on its Facebook page. Everything was expensive and exotic, with Ford GTO, Maserati, a Mustang race car, and several Ferraris.

One of the most eye-watering cars in the warehouse was the Porsche Carrera GT, a two-seat supercar already out of production. The Carrera GT is a distant cousin of the 550 Spyder, the car James Dean crashed in 1955.

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7 /10 The Greatest Porsche Ever Built

Some call the Carrera GT “the greatest Porsche ever built,” which might be true considering how it packs a massive 612-horsepower V10 wrapped in its carbon-fiber body.

It is internal combustion at its glory, going from 0 – 60mph in just under 4 seconds. Flat out, it will do 205mph.

It was the most exciting, most expensive, best-looking, fastest road car Porsche ever made for quite a while. It is light, agile, and nimble but not necessarily easy to tame unless you’re a severe driver.

6 /10 Roger Rodas

Roger Rodas knew more about Carrera GT and drove it of all people attending the event and probably anywhere else. He was the CEO of Always Evolving and Walker’s financial advisor.

They met at a racetrack many years earlier, and the relationship evolved. Rodas was a professional racer who made his name during his time in the Porsche Cup car series.

Despite their retirement from the supercar circuit, he was still competing as a captain of the Always Evolving racing team. Rodas and the Carrera GT would mark Walker’s last hours most terribly.

5 /10 A Joyride In The Porsche

The event was scheduled to conclude at 4 p.m. About an hour before, everybody was winding down, and employees of Always Evolving were taking the cars back to the garage.

One employee was seen struggling behind the Porsche’s steering wheel, even more so in reverse. Rodas had to jump in and park the car himself.

The former pro racing driver soon came upon Walker, and the two decided to take a joyride in the Carrera GT. Walker hopped into the passenger’s seat while Rodas took the wheel.

4 /10 Explosion In The Distance

At ten minutes past three in the afternoon, the Porsche glided slowly out of the parking lot. It was not an uncommon sight; Paul Walker in an expensive car or Roger Rodas in the driver’s seat of a Porsche.

For the next 20 minutes or so, nothing ordinary happened. Employees were packing up the event while the two bosses took a drive in a $350,000 car.

At around 3:30 p.m., some people recalled hearing a big noise like an explosion in the distance. News spread quickly about the sight of black smoke from a quarter-mile away.

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3 /10 A Burning Horror

Fearing the worst had happened, an employee of Always Evolving took their car and looked for the noise source. Many of them brought fire extinguishers in case the explosion triggered or had come from a fire.

They made the right guess, as what they came upon on the side of the road on Hercules Street was probably best described as “a burning horror.”

The Porsche was wrapped around a pole on the hilly section of the street. Rodas’ body was obscured, but people could see Walker being unconscious and strapped to the bucket seat.

2 /10 Split In Half

A massive fire encapsulated the Porsche, burning Walker and Rodas inside. Before firefighters arrived, at least seven fire extinguishers were emptied in a rescue attempt.

There was panic, and people were trying to help as best they could. Some of them ended up in the police stations because they refused to stop supporting; everyone was released shortly after.

The vehicle was almost cut in half after hitting a tree and a lamppost. Most of the car was charred by the fire.

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1 /10 Thermal Injuries

TMZ was the first to break the news about Walker’s death. Always Evolving sent a post on Facebook to confirm it.

The coroner’s report stated that neither Walker (40) nor Rodas (38) had alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, or any impairing substance. An autopsy report revealed that Walker died of traumatic and thermal injuries.

The car’s seat belt broke Walker’s torso and pelvis, rendering him unconscious in the vehicle. He was still alive for a moment, but then the fire burned him to death. The car crash was subsequently ruled an accident.

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