Hollywood has seen the rise of many legendary franchises, but few hold up over time and create history like the others. One such franchise is The Fast and The Furious. Debuting its first movie with the theatrical release in the United States on June 22nd 2001 by Universal Pictures
https://www.tmz.com/watch/0-ctunxtka/ (0:02-0:08)
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it boasted an all-star cast that included Paul Walker
Vin Diesel
Michelle Rodriguez
Jordana Brewster
And Ja Rule
The franchise scored a whopping 207.3 million USD at the box office off a $38 million-dollar budget
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fast_and_the_Furious_(2001_film)
and as it continued with sequels, its popularity skyrocketed even further with the inclusion of A-List celebrities such as Tyrese Gibson
Sung Kang
Christopher Bridges aka Ludacris
Belcalis Almanzar aka Cardi B
Eva Mendes
Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock
John Cena
Jason Momoa
Shad Moss aka Bow Wow
Helen Mirren
And Jason Statham
All things considered, it was a smash hit with a cast that just kept on giving, but, one of those cast members took away more than anyone could have hoped – the joys of fans worldwide when they tragically passed away. A main cast and backbone upon which the franchise was first built, Paul Walker
November 30th 2013, it was another day in the life of Paul Walker to continue his path to use his fame and fortune to better the world and impact change in a positive light. He wasn’t simply a beloved actor on screen, but in real life, he was a humanitarian and activist that always brought good energy and gave back to persons in need https://youtu.be/h1jEmWpXZzw (0:28-0:40) https://youtu.be/h1jEmWpXZzw (7:29-8:42) To this end he created the charity organization Reach Out Worldwide in 2010 after the destructive earthquake that decimated Haiti.
The organization has been providing relief to places around the world, armed with every professional from doctors to firefighters journeying together to rescue, treat, and aid those affected by tragic natural disasters https://youtu.be/FxU4kDmRzIw (0:13-2:35) In every sense of the word, Paul Walker was a hero, which made the events that were about to happen on that Saturday even more painful.
Paul Walker was in California for a charity event hosted by Reach Out Worldwide meant to be a benefit event with a car show and toy drive for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
The event was hosted at the car shop owned by him and his good friend Roger Radas in Santa Clarita, California
https://allthatsinteresting.com/paul-walker-death
Rodas and Paul Walker met at a California race club. He was driving a Porsche that Walker had previously owned and their friendship from there grew into what it became. The pair held a bond that had at its center, their love for cars.
Rodas, who among other titles, was a Pirelli World Challenge Championships driver
https://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/03/us/walker-crash-roger-rodas/index.html
The two later went on to be partners in their Car Shop, Always Evolving that became the last place they were seen together,
Paul Walker was also a professional driver under Rodas’ racing team of the same name
Surrounded by the luxury cars they were passionate about at their Car Shop, the charity event was going off without a hitch.
The event was held at Hercules Street near Kelly Johnson Parkway in Valencia and was promoted by the Always Evolving website and Reach Out Worldwide’s Facebook page as having a run time between 10 am to 4pm
This saw Paul Walker in the vicinity from the morning at the car shop doing his humanitarian work. As the time was winding down, 3pm arrived. Conversations between Paul Walker and Rodas led to the focus on a prized possession of Rodas. One of his race cars that was dear to his heart, his 2005 Porsche Carrera GT
Reports state that the vehicle was not one of the cars Rodas used for racing and was part of a collection he planned to sell. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t see the day that happened
The car was present at the event with patrons amazed at the stunning vehicle.
At around 3:25pm, Paul Walker and Rodas decided to take the vehicle for a spin before returning to the event location. Paul Walker, unsuspecting of the tragedy that was awaiting in their decision to make that drive, would have what would be the last conversation with anyone before his demise. With Rodas as the driver, Paul Walker got into the passenger seat of the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT. The final footage of Paul Walker shows him within the vicinity of the vehicle before they left for what was meant to be just a spin around the way https://www.tmz.com/watch/0-slxtt8fa/
His last words recalled by his friend Jim as Paul was exiting the driveway was “Hey I’ll be right back in 5 minutes” Paul Walker, never came back https://youtu.be/Vl0czmWHszo (3:54-4:08)
Rodas and Paul Walker pulled out the driveway and made a right turn onto the road ahead
The road was clear of traffic as Rodas accelerated along, heading straight before making another right turn
To arrive on what was a reasonable length of stretch of road
The time was around 3:30pm, eerie enough the 5 minutes Paul Walker said he’d be back in. Rodas would allegedly increase speeds in the area of 100 miles per hour, something which as a professional driver was no task too heavy to manage for him, but, in that moment factors were at play unknown to him, and Rodas lost control of the vehicle, causing it to partially spin around and begin to travel in a south-easterly direction.
The vehicle then struck a sidewalk and the driver’s side struck through a light post before slamming into a tree, twisting around and tearing the vehicle almost entirely in half.
What happened next, sealed Paul Walker and his friend Rodas’ fate. Pinned and unable to escape with no one around to help, the car then burst into flames
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/03/paul-walker-died-car-coroner-report
3D simulation technology was able to replicate different camera angles of the possible pathway and trajectory of the vehicle with Paul Walker and Rodas inside, before, during, and after the crash. Be advised the videos, even though a simulation can be disturbing for some to watch https://youtu.be/I7nq-3fLMpA https://youtu.be/N4ByzB-LA9A (0:05-0:27) https://youtu.be/AETocBS_AqM (2:06-2:40)
The point of impact was so hard that those 500 miles away at the charity event heard the sound, not yet knowing what was happening. Paul’s friend, Jim, on the other hand, had a bad feeling when he heard the loud impact. When he saw the cloud of black smoke rising into the air, he knew something went terribly wrong with Paul and Rodas https://youtu.be/Vl0czmWHszo (3:39-3:53)
Surveillance footage from nearby cameras shows the gruesome end of the two men, especially Paul Walker. One footage shows the moment the car slammed into the tree before smoke began rising to the air https://youtu.be/i0XFHe_nM3E
The other footage shows the light post taken down and the tree being hit, and then for about 60 seconds, officials stated that was the timeframe Paul and Rodas had to escape the vehicle if they were alive, because after that time, the car went up in flames https://youtu.be/l2dYxE4FdwM (0:00-0:58) https://youtu.be/l2dYxE4FdwM (1:51-2:44)
A coroners report would state that while Rodas died on impact, Paul Walker suffered severe injuries but was still alive when the car burst into flames, engulfing him taking his life https://youtu.be/nhJG4TCkjYY A close friend of Paul Walker, Antonio Holmes would arrive and rush into the flames to try and save his friend at the expense of his own life,
but was unable to succeed and was detained by officials at the scene https://youtu.be/Vl0czmWHszo (1:51-2:08)
The accident was so horrific that the bodies inside of the vehicle couldn’t be identified until dental records were obtained https://youtu.be/Vl0czmWHszo (4:08-4:15) An official autopsy report would be released confirming Paul Walker died as a result of the combined effects of traumatic and thermal injuries. The list of damages he sustained painted the painful final seconds before he took his last breath. Paul Walker had physical injuries that included multiple rib fractures, pelvic fractures, and spine fractures with thermal injuries leaving his body charred
Rodas’ autopsy report states he died of multiple traumatic injuries, confirming that unlike Paul Walker, he died before the flames ignited
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1001974-paul-walker-roger-rodas-autopsies
Images of the charred bodies in the mangled vehicle would surface showing the gruesome nature of the crash
While the news began spreading throughout the world of the loss of the beloved actor and his friend, personnel on site had to bear the images of dismantled vehicle and unrecognizable bodies to clear the scene of the tragedy that occurred https://youtu.be/xp4xXE8b0oI
Footage would immerge from a passerby as the vehicle was engulfed in flames and one thing stood out, a shadowy figure appearing to be trapped by trying to escape https://www.tmz.com/watch/0-9nu86t9n/ (0:22-0:33)
Many speculate it may have been Paul Walker moments before he succumbed to the blaze https://youtu.be/L4IoWkYCB6o (0:00-0:35) Still, no official reports state that to be true.
Although there were many speculations of what caused the crash, from drag racing, to leaking fluid, to drugs, an initial investigation cleared all these reasons and listed the speed at which the vehicle was going as the cause. Still, Pauls family visited the site and at the advice of experts found another reason that may have caused the incident – Plastic road markers known as Bott’s Dots
Paul Walker’s family reportedly spoke to stunt experts who claimed that the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT driven by the star’s friend careered out of control after hitting the markers. This allegedly caused the car to hydroplane, causing the driver to lose control.
In September 2015, Paul Walkers daughter Meadow Walker
Filed a lawsuit against Porsche, claiming the sports car he was riding in had multiple design flaws.
The lawsuit alleged “the vehicle lacked safety features that are found on well-designed racing cars or even Porsche’s least expensive road cars – features that could have prevented the accident or, at a minimum, allowed Paul Walker to survive the crash.”
The suit also blames the build on the car lacking the proper reinforced side doors bars that was weaker than what was placed on other vehicles that travel at slower speeds
Not only that, but it also states that Porsche “failed to install its electronic stability control system,” which they say is “specifically designed to protect against the swerving actions inherent in hyper-sensitive vehicles of this type.” https://youtu.be/QeLmvu5ALjI (1:46-1:59)
https://ew.com/movies/2017/10/24/paul-walker-daughter-meadow-settlement-porsche/
Porsche however, shot back against Meadow’s claims, stating that Paul is to blame for what occurred as according to them, the car “was abused and altered after being placed into the stream of commerce in a manner that was not reasonably foreseeable to Porsche Cars North America”. They went on to counter, stating that Paul Walker was “a knowledgeable and sophisticated user” who knowingly exposed himself to the risks involved in using the vehicle.
An investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was conducted and doubled down that speed – not drugs, racing, or mechanical failure – killed Paul Walker. Investigators determined the cause of the fatal solo-vehicle collision was unsafe speed for the roadway conditions. They also gave mention to the tires being 9 years old and far past the timeframe for being changed
Their investigations allegedly revealed that the high-performance 2005 Porsche Carrera GT was going “between 80 and 93 mph at the time the car impacted a power pole and several trees.” To put this into perspective, the posted speed limit on the Santa Clarita, California, office park road was 45 mph.
https://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/17/entertainment/paul-walker-death-lawsuit/index.html
Reports state that the lawsuit was settled for an alleged 10 million sum to be paid into a trust
https://ew.com/movies/2017/10/24/paul-walker-daughter-meadow-settlement-porsche/
The 2005 Porsche Carrera GT held a reputation for being a monster of a vehicle, having 3 times the horsepower of an average car, capable of going over 200 miles per hour and goes from 0-125 in less than 10 seconds https://youtu.be/QeLmvu5ALjI (0:00-0:15) https://youtu.be/Vl0czmWHszo (2:36-2:50) It is known to be a difficult car to drive even for professionals and respect must be given to the power it holds https://youtu.be/QeLmvu5ALjI (0:57-1:05) https://youtu.be/qjhdWO7RWfQ (0:48-1:02) https://youtu.be/QeLmvu5ALjI (2:00-2:13) In fact, the car was such a precise vehicle to handle, the sales staff of the vehicle was given a memo
detailing with details which include a section warning that “the car cannot go over a speed bump or a foster beer can lying on its side without damage” and describes the model as “as close to a racecar as we will ever get. This car has all the disadvantages of a racecar.”
http://tmz.vo.llnwd.net/o28/newsdesk/tmz_documents/1202_carrera_gt_2.pdf
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/paul-walker-roger-rodas-porsche/
Why is a vehicle that needs such stern warnings allowed access on the road, I’m not sure, but it sadly aided in Paul Walker and Rodas losing their lives and leaving loved ones to mourn the loss https://youtu.be/qjhdWO7RWfQ (1:39-1:47) https://youtu.be/wKgweKK_f-w (1:04-1:30) https://youtu.be/nhJG4TCkjYY (1:34-1:49) https://youtu.be/aphVqWSS3TE (3:49-4:10) https://youtu.be/SjRubUBOm80 (2:20-2:45)
Paul Walker was in the process of filming Fast & Furious 7 at the time of the accident. His death occurred during the Thanksgiving break from filming. Production was paused before later resuming with his brother Cody Walker
being used for the final scenes as Paul Walker along with vfx technology
https://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/17/entertainment/paul-walker-death-lawsuit/index.html
Paul Walker left a legacy that will forever be engraved in the hearts of those whose lives he touched, whether through his charity, his movies, or his bright and positive energy. At the end of the Fast & Furious 7 movie, fans were met with an emotional ending in honor of Paul Walker that pulled tears from every eye watching. Rest in peace Paul Walker https://youtu.be/eUhV8NiASfY
