Porsche 911UK Forum

Welcome to the @Porsche911UK website. Register a free account today to become a member! Sign up is quick and easy, then you can view, participate in topics and posts across the site that covers all things Porsche.

Already registered and looking to recovery your account, select 'login in' and then the 'forget your password' option.

Paul Walker: RIP

Porsche Had Been Stalling, Actor and Driver Took Car to Test

rs_560x415-131201101705-1024.Paul-Walker-Photograph-Carrera-GT-Death.jl.120113_copy.jpg


Just how much of a role, if any, did the vehicle itself play in the crash that took the lives of Paul Walker and Roger Rodas?
Tragically, Walker had been getting ready to leave his Reach Out Worldwide charity event on Saturday and had already said most of his goodbyes when he and Rodas decided to take the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that they ultimately died in out for a test drive.

The Porsche had been stalling and Rodas suggested that they go for a drive to try to diagnose the problem, and Walker agreed, a source who witnessed the exchange exclusively told E! News Monday.
"I've seen both Paul and Roger drive on the race track," the source said. "These guys are good drivers. They are responsible drivers."
 
It's desperately sad when anyone dies in a pointless accident, but that sounds like bolloxs to me.

What is the speed limit?

(ps I would merge this with the other car-crash thread, but....)
 
orangecurry said:
It's desperately sad when anyone dies in a pointless accident, but that sounds like bolloxs to me.

What is the speed limit?

+1

45mph apparently (according to other reports I've read).
 
Paul Walker and his friend were not taking part in an illegal street race when their Porsche crashed into a lamp post at high speed killing both, police said.

While the neighbourhood where the Fast and Furious star was killed is known to attract street racers, police said they had no indication of a second car involved in the crash.

Accident investigators "have received eyewitness statements that the car involved was travelling alone at a high rate of speed," the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

"No eyewitness has contacted the (department) to say there was a second vehicle."

Officers have acknowledged the crash happened in a "hot spot" for street racers, where the street forms a loop through commercial buildings and has very little traffic, especially on weekends.

http://news.sky.com/story/1176814/paul-walker-crash-not-part-of-street-race
 
orangecurry said:
It's desperately sad when anyone dies in a pointless accident, but that sounds like bolloxs to me.

What is the speed limit?

(ps I would merge this with the other car-crash thread, but....)

Yep, cars dont kill, sadly people are the cause.
 
A mechanical failure or a puncture cannot be ruled out either.

I recall getting into the 997 C4S last year without noticing that one of the rear low profile tyres was a bit flat(nail in it). I took the car out and it was all over the place doing just 20mph! I thought wtf is going on.....has something broken? I could not believe how evil it handled with a semi-flat tyre.
 
wizard993 said:
A mechanical failure or a puncture cannot be ruled out either..

A mechanical failure or puncture, may have caused a loss of control

But the car was clearly going at massive speed when the accident happened, you dont cause that kind of destruction at 45MPH
 
917k said:
wizard993 said:
A mechanical failure or a puncture cannot be ruled out either..

A mechanical failure or puncture, may have caused a loss of control

But the car was clearly going at massive speed when the accident happened, you dont cause that kind of destruction at 45MPH

+1

The story would have been totally different if they had wiped out innocent bystanders....
 
917k said:
wizard993 said:
A mechanical failure or a puncture cannot be ruled out either..

A mechanical failure or puncture, may have caused a loss of control

But the car was clearly going at massive speed when the accident happened, you dont cause that kind of destruction at 45MPH

Yes of course speed was a factor(and possibly the main one) but its still unclear what caused the initial loss of control so a partial or full tyre deflation cannot be ruled out.
 
Paul Walker death: New report blames 93-mph speed in fiery crash

Investigators also determined that a pair of 9-year-old tyres contributed to the crash, not a mechanical failure. There was no evidence of any car system failures, such as the brakes, according to the report.

The high-performance Porsche that "Fast & Furious" actor Paul Walker was riding in was traveling up to 93 mph when it crashed and burst into flames, killing him and the driver, an L.A. County Sheriff's investigation found.

The rate of speed was determined using surveillance videos and electronic data retrieved from the car's computers with the help of the carmaker. That would mean that the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, driven by Walker's friend, Roger Rodas, was traveling about twice the 45 mph limit when it crashed Nov. 30 on a curvy road in a Santa Clarita business park.

[Updated at 2:55 p.m. PDT March 25: 'Investigators determined the cause of the fatal solo-vehicle collision was unsafe speed for the roadway conditions," said Cmdr. Mike Parker of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.]

Investigators also determined that a pair of 9-year-old tyres contributed to the crash, not a mechanical failure. There was no evidence of any car system failures, such as the brakes, according to the report.

Rodas was a veteran race car driver, but the speed into a tight curve proved too much, investigators with the sheriff's department and California Highway Patrol found.

An earlier L.A. County coroner's report had pegged the speed as being more than 100 mph, but the traffic analysis in the recent report determined it was a bit slower.

Walker and Rodas were killed almost instantly, succumbing to multiple traumatic injuries and a fire that quickly consumed the car.
Walker died of "severe blunt head, neck and chest trauma," sustaining a broken arm, wrist, jaw and ribs, according to the coroner's report. The fire burned his body beyond recognition.

Rodas suffered similar injuries and a fractured skull.

Investigators spent months examining the videos, interviewing potential witnesses and working with experts from Porsche in Germany and tire manufacturer Michelin to determine the cause of the deadly crash.
After reviewing numerous security videos from cameras around the business park, investigators found no evidence that the pair was racing against any other vehicle, according to the report. The four-lane road is part of a business park loop in Rye Canyon near a car company that was owned by Rodas and Walker.

Skid marks and video revealed that the car spun out of control and hit the sidewalk, sending it smashing into a tree and a light post with tremendous force.
Rodas' and Walker's bodies were found braced for impact in a "pugilistic" stance, the report said.

Since the 2001 debut of 'The Fast and the Furious," Walker had become the face of the Southern California car culture. While the movie became a billion-dollar movie franchise, Walker kept his street credibility by driving a Nissan Skyline GT-R, appearing at real tuner events and investing in a super-car business.

The 2005 Porsche Carrera GT has a history of being difficult to control. The sports car is capable of reaching 100 mph in less than seven seconds. But it was built without the stability management system with which most Porsche models are equipped. The data the carmaker helped to retrieve allowed investigators to determine RPMs and throttle and airbag deployment at the time of the crash.
 

Attachments

  • autolifers_rip_paul_walker_133.jpg
    autolifers_rip_paul_walker_133.jpg
    90 KB · Views: 15,307
"9 Year old tyres contributed to the crash"

Doubt it very much.

Very sad loss.
 
.....I always thought something like this could be the cause.

Low profile tyres always need careful checking in terms of age and pressures.
 
Well from the above information , took the corner to fast lost control ?
 
Straightforward denial of any liability from Porsche after data interrogation of their own systems, skilfully attribute contributary liability to the condition of the tyres without implicating the tyre manufacturer, and without directly pointing the finger at the deceased and stating the obvious that it was their fault for driving beyond their abilities at a speed unsuitable for the road conditions, and from their injuries probably not wearing their seat belts.

You'd think these multi billion dollar company's employ lawyers and public relations companies or something..
 

Forum statistics

Threads
124,351
Messages
1,439,435
Members
48,707
Latest member
race911turbo
Back
Top