Paul Walker’s Death Not Caused by Street Race: Police
Police investigating the car crash that killed actor Paul Walker Saturday do not believe the Porsche that the Fast & Furious star was riding in had been racing another car. Investigators “have received eyewitness statements that the car involved was traveling alone at a high rate of speed,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement reported by The Associated Press.
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Walker, 40, was a passenger in the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT driven by a friend, Roger Rodas, when the car smashed into a tree and burst into flames. The vehicle was traveling at about 45 miles per hour near a curve where the speed limit drops to 15, an NBC reporter tweeted, citing unnamed sources.
The crash occurred on a street that forms part of a loop that is known to attract street racers, the police have said, leading to speculation that the Porsche was racing another car when the accident happened.
A vigil for Walker’s family, friends and Fast & Furious castmates was held near the crash site last night, while co-star Vin Diesel posted a remembrance of Walker on Facebook. “Pablo, I wish you could see the world right now . . . and the profound impact, your full life has had on it, on Us . . . on me . . .,” Diesel wrote. He continued, referring to Walker by the name of his character in the Fast & Furious franchise, “I will always love you Brian, as the brother you were . . . on and off screen.”
Walker had appeared in all six Fast & Furious films, starting with The Fast and the Furious in 2001. Although filming had been underway for a seventh installment in the drag-racing saga, Universal hasn’t said yet how Walker’s death will affect the project. Two other films starring Walker are on the way: Hours will receive a limited theatrical release on December 13th, while Brick Mansions is due out next year.