LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles Sheriff’s Investigators revealed their findings into the crash that killed Paul Walker on March 25.
The investigation was performed by the Sheriff’s traffic collision experts in cooperation with the CHP’s Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT), according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Department.
The results of the redacted reports showed that the Porsche was traveling at a speed between 80 and 93 miles per hour, leading to the conclusion that the “primary collision factor” was none other than unsafe driving. To confirm this, investigators examined every bit of the destroyed vehicle, including its steering, suspension, braking systems and more. What they found was that there were no pre-existing conditions which could have lead to the crash, even with the presence of an “aftermarket exhaust system that would have increased the engine’s horsepower” and a set of tires more than nine years old.
In addition to determining that both Walker and Roger Rhodas, the driver of the Porsche, were wearing seatbelts, toxicology reports indicated that neither person had imbued any alcohol or drugs prior to the crash.
Early theories had suggested that Walker and Rhodas had been racing an unknown third party before the incident, but the report dismissed that idea based on multiple eyewitness reports and the examination of several pieces of surveillance footage.
The report also stated that there were a few indications of the Porsche “fishtailng,” which is what occurs when the rear wheels of a vehicle lose traction on a surface. An eyewitness saw the Porsche fishtail as it made a right-hand turn onto Kelly Johnson Parkway from Copperhill Drive between 3:20 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Security footage from an unidentified store saw another fishtail occur around 3:26 p.m. about 8/10 of a mile away from the crash site as the car traveled along Kelly Johnson Parkway.
“Investigators determined that the cause of the fatal solo-vehicle collision was unsafe speed for the roadway conditions,” said Commander Mike Parker of the Sheriff’s North Patrol Division.
The County Coroner’s report from January determined that both men had sustained multiple traumatic injuries, with Walker receiving additional thermal injuries. Both of their deaths were ruled as accidents.
Walker and Rhodas were killed on November 30 around 3:26 p.m. on Hercules Street and Kelly Johnson Parkway in Valencia.Walker died during the filming of “Fast & Furious 7.” The New York Daily News reported on March 21 that Walker’s role in the film would be completed using a combination of four stand-ins with similar physiques asWalkerand computer-generated imagery.
By Alex Nochez
