Paul Walker killed in car accident

[Pounds]

now imagine FF7 coming out in july that's apparently already in post production.

 

Ya this can be weird... It was weird watching Heath Ledger's last movie after he died.

[Quantum]

I didn't know he existed until I heard the news.  Real shame he passed away so young.  RIP. 

[FireFox]

Any infos about how fast did he went before impact?

Quality car like that smashed into one small piece,i woudn't been suprised if they went 200+ kmh(120mph). To see so much damage just by hitting that small tree(which didn't even fall down) is strange,car looks like it has hit a wall frontal going 200+

 

I read somewhere that is may have been around 130-140km/h though don't take my word for it

[Puppet]

I read somewhere that is may have been around 130-140km/h though don't take my word for it

 

I dunno, looks a bit faster than that to be honest. My guess would have been closer to that but in mph, its hard to say though as they hit a pole and a tree and I suppose they can do pretty bad damage even at relatively low speeds.

 

I originally thought it was on some sort of freeway, but even still that car supposedly gets to 100mph in under 7 secs.

 

Either way they were speeding and considering their careers they should have known better, would be a completely different story if they had of hit an oncoming car full of kids.

[Mooshi]

I dunno, looks a bit faster than that to be honest. My guess would have been closer to that but in mph, its hard to say though as they hit a pole and a tree and I suppose they can do pretty bad damage even at relatively low speeds.

 

I originally thought it was on some sort of freeway, but even still that car supposedly gets to 100mph in under 7 secs.

 

Either way they were speeding and considering their careers they should have known better, would be a completely different story if they had of hit an oncoming car full of kids.

 

 

Hard to believe the car crashed while being driven by a pro of many years. I was under the impression it was some random fan, but no. Something seems like it's missing from the story...a pro driver does not simply crash into tree and dies in a fire. It feels like the media isn't giving us the complete story -- like there was something wrong with the car itself and protecting Porsche's image.

[Puppet]

Hard to believe the car crashed while being driven by a pro of many years. I was under the impression it was some random fan, but no. Something seems like it's missing from the story...a pro driver does not simply crash into tree and dies in a fire. It feels like the media isn't giving us the complete story -- like there was something wrong with the car itself and protecting Porsche's image.

 

Yeah the story is definitely a little vague at the moment, there seems to be rumors popping up that it was a mechanical failure.

 

Look at the chassis on this thing, hard to believe that amount of damage was caused at any half way reasonable speed:

 

I would expect a pro driver to know just how easy it is to come off the road, I'm fairly certain he would have experienced a few on the track during his career.

[Recon-UK]

RIP Roger Rodas and Paul Walker.

 

 

 

[Mooshi]

Yeah the story is definitely a little vague at the moment, there seems to be rumors popping up that it was a mechanical failure.

 

Look at the chassis on this thing, hard to believe that amount of damage was caused at any half way reasonable speed:

 

I would expect a pro driver to know just how easy it is to come off the road, I'm fairly certain he would have experienced a few on the track during his career.

 

Exactly. It's on par with a 5 star chef suddenly just burning their dishes and getting customers sick. I'm highly suspicious that the car itself was to blame and why Rodas crashed it so violently. I used to be a fan of Porsche, but now I'm having my doubts.

[Puppet]

Exactly. It's on par with a 5 star chef suddenly just burning their dishes and getting customers sick. I'm highly suspicious that the car itself was to blame and why Rodas crashed it so violently. I used to be a fan of Porsche, but now I'm having my doubts.

 

Yeah I'm still a fan of Porsche, they all burst into flames. Look into Sean Edwards, Ryan Dunn and I believe one of the test pilots for the Carrera GT actually died in the same way, lots of others too. I think it's all to do with where the petrol tank is located on most of them, with all the pressure of an impact it must be like a bomb.

 

Here's one of the articles on claiming a mechanical failure:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2517257/Paul-Walker-crash-CCTV-Video-Porsche-GT-spinning-road-emerges.html

 

If this was the case I would have thought they would be taking it easy though, your right, something fishy about all of this.

[Mooshi]

Yeah I'm still a fan of Porsche, they all burst into flames. Look into Sean Edwards, Ryan Dunn and I believe one of the test pilots for the Carrera GT actually died in the same way, lots of others too. I think it's all to do with where the petrol tank is located on most of them, with all the pressure of an impact it must be like a bomb.

 

Here's one of the articles on claiming a mechanical failure:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2517257/Paul-Walker-crash-CCTV-Video-Porsche-GT-spinning-road-emerges.html

 

If this was the case I would have thought they would be taking it easy though, your right, something fishy about all of this.

 

The 911 is still a beautiful car, I guess I should have said I'm more against the placement of things. Funny you should mention Ryan Dunn since I was also thinking of him as well since we're discussing Porsche. I hope the CEO of Porsche is well aware of their design flaws because a vehicle should never burst into a fireball upon hitting a tree. Something needs to be done to protect the internals more, both hardware and the people inside.

 

Hopefully more information comes to light on this.

[Recon-UK]

The 911 is still a beautiful car, I guess I should have said I'm more against the placement of things. Funny you should mention Ryan Dunn since I was also thinking of him as well since we're discussing Porsche. I hope the CEO of Porsche is well aware of their design flaws because a vehicle should never burst into a fireball upon hitting a tree. Something needs to be done to protect the internals more, both hardware and the people inside.

 

Hopefully more information comes to light on this.

 

 

That unintended pun

[chaozbandit]

 

Exactly. It's on par with a 5 star chef suddenly just burning their dishes and getting customers sick. I'm highly suspicious that the car itself was to blame and why Rodas crashed it so violently. I used to be a fan of Porsche, but now I'm having my doubts.

 

 

Yeah I'm still a fan of Porsche, they all burst into flames. Look into Sean Edwards, Ryan Dunn and I believe one of the test pilots for the Carrera GT actually died in the same way, lots of others too. I think it's all to do with where the petrol tank is located on most of them, with all the pressure of an impact it must be like a bomb.

 

Here's one of the articles on claiming a mechanical failure:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2517257/Paul-Walker-crash-CCTV-Video-Porsche-GT-spinning-road-emerges.html

 

If this was the case I would have thought they would be taking it easy though, your right, something fishy about all of this.

 

Analysis into the scene of the crash has ruled out street racing; the cars present in photos all arrived post-crash to put out the flames and attempt to rescue the occupants. Witness accounts note that the engine note of the C-GT did not indicate that they were speeding; Rodas was reported to have been going over the limit by ~5mph (as most drivers do) but the specific road he was on was a high speed section going into a low speed, sharp corner. Speeds prior to impact I read somewhere to be closer to 40-45 mph (< 80 km/h) 

 

As for the mechanical integrity of the car, the C-GT is inherently a difficult car to drive. Not only is it physically demanding to drive (heavy clutch, brutal power-to-weight ratio; it's also taxing on the driver in that they have to maintain a high level of focus to drive it fast (in the words of Jeremy Clarkson, "You have to be awake to drive this fast.") It's a car that scares even professional drivers, so to say Rodas was solely driving like an ass (the assumption I've seen most people make) is an extreme understatement, given the scope of the situation. Anyways, there has been a suspected failure in the power steering in that a fluid line might have burst; as these lines are located in the front of the car, it would explain the quicker-than-usual spread of the fire (despite it being a mid-rear crash).

 

In regards to at what point the C-GT actually lost control, there is no material explanation yet. However, judging from where the skid marks are located on the pavement, Rodas did not lose control prior to entering the corner; If the power-steering lines had in fact burst, they would have spewed fluid in front of the front wheels, causing the car to understeer as it went through the bends. As evident in the skidmarks, they were (mostly) straight meaning the car had continued to plow forwards despite having the front wheels turned; if Rodas had lost control prior to turning, the skidmarks would be curved.

 

Again, RIP Paul Walker and Roger Rodas; I'm sure we'll all find out own ways of paying our respects.

 

Sources:

On the analysis into the crash: http://jalopnik.com/police-now-say-racing-wasnt-involved-in-paul-walkers-1475238844

On the C-GT's difficulty of driving: http://jalopnik.com/porsche-that-killed-paul-walker-dangerous-needs-res-1474240192

 

Update: NY Daily News has also released an in-depth look into what constitutes a C-GT if you're interested

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/paul-walker-dead-40-2005-porsche-carrera-gt-racecar-fast-cutting-edge-safety-features-article-1.1536200

[Puppet]

-snip-

 

So he wasn't speeding? I read through the articles and there is no evidence of that, just hearsay from people that knew him.

 

Okay I haven't driven one myself, but it's a mid engined Grand Tourer, it should be more relaxing at lower speeds compared to the rear engined Porsches. Yeah the clutch will be heavy, but should be reasonably controllable at the speed limit, and considering who was driving I am sure throttle control wasn't the issue.

 

I'm sorry but I still think that even if the power steering had failed, that car would be able to pretty much stop dead from 40mph.

[Vindola]

 

 

I regret nothing.

 

#2Fast2Furious2Soon

[RespawnCake]

*I looked security camera video where it shows car hitting the tree and after a minute,two catching fire. They were probabaly dead on impact but still if they were only injured they would have plenty of time to get out. 

With car looking like that it's impossible that they were going only 45-50mph(80-90kmh).I still believe it was more than 160+kmh(100mph)

 

*

[miyabwah]

You want to know something sad?

"If one day the speed kills me, don't cry because I was smiling." -Paul Walker

[FireFox]

Hard to believe the car crashed while being driven by a pro of many years. I was under the impression it was some random fan, but no. Something seems like it's missing from the story...a pro driver does not simply crash into tree and dies in a fire. It feels like the media isn't giving us the complete story -- like there was something wrong with the car itself and protecting Porsche's image.

 

Being a pro doesn't grant immunity, it can still kill and Paul is a perfect example along with Aryton Senna and others who have crashed and died

[Mooshi]

You want to know something sad?

"If one day the speed kills me, don't cry because I was smiling." -Paul Walker

I doubt he was smiling when the car lost control and headed towards what would be his death. A legit race? Sure. This? I have a feeling he was scared shitless before impact.

Being a pro doesn't grant immunity, it can still kill and Paul is a perfect example along with Aryton Senna and others who have crashed and died

 

True, but this wasn't a track where you had to dogfight other racers going 200mph. I still suspect the car had a mechanical failure. Since it was a charity event, I doubt they would have done something as wreckless as purposely racing a hyper car in public.

[FireFox]

I doubt he was smiling when the car lost control and headed towards what would be his death. A legit race? Sure. This? I have a feeling he was scared shitless before impact.

 

True, but this wasn't a track where you had to dogfight other racers going 200mph. I still suspect the car had a mechanical failure. Since it was a charity event, I doubt they would have done something as wreckless as purposely racing a hyper car in public.

 

I don't think a mechanical fault was to blame, I think it was just human error.

[Mooshi]

I don't think a mechanical fault was to blame, I think it was just human error.

 

I dunno, mate. I know humans make mistakes, but I wouldn't think a pro-racing driver would just up and crash a hyper-car that wasn't speeding (even if this is contested) in a non-racing environment. Shoot, if Paris Hilton can handle a super car without crashing, a pro-race driver should be able to no problem. Something was up with that Porsche GT, I can feel it.

[chaozbandit]

I dunno, mate. I know humans make mistakes, but I wouldn't think a pro-racing driver would just up and crash a hyper-car that wasn't speeding (even if this is contested) in a non-racing environment. Shoot, if Paris Hilton can handle a super car without crashing, a pro-race driver should be able to no problem. Something was up with that Porsche GT, I can feel it.

A lot of readers are leaning towards the mechanical failure of the car. If not a failure, then just the ddriving characteristics of the C-GT (can't rule out snap-oversteer but since there is no "black box data" it's hard to tell based on eye witness accounts). The C-GT along with other Porsches at the charity event were already sold, so to hoon irresponsibly in a car that someone has just bought would seem highly unethical.

As for the Hilton comment... IIRC one of her boyfriends bought her a LF-A but she never drives it so it just sits in the garage. Shame.