Paul Walker death: Coroner plans more tests before autopsy complete
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office will likely take several more weeks before presenting a final autopsy report for “Fast and Furious” star Paul Walker, who died Saturday in a car crash in Santa Clarita.
Preliminary results released Wednesday said Walker died from a combination of traumatic injuries and burns after the Porsche he was riding in crashed and erupted in flames. The car’s driver, 38-year-old Roger Rodas, died from traumatic injuries, coroner’s officials said.
Further details about the crash and deaths will be provided when the autopsy report is completed, officials said. Results of toxicology tests -- common in autopsies -- will not be available for six to eight weeks.
Los Angeles County Coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter said the men died “within seconds” of the crash.
The deaths have been ruled an accident, with the injuries occurring as the result of “auto versus fixed object.” Although witnesses confirmed that Rodas and Walker were in the car, the men were positively identified through dental records.
They were killed about 3:30 p.m. Saturday when the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT crashed into a pole and several trees on Hercules Street in Santa Clarita.
Detectives have not determined what caused the crash, but a preliminary investigation indicates speed was a factor, Sheriff’s Capt. Mike Parker said.
Just how fast the car was moving is to be determined. The speed limit on the street is 45 mph.
Friends have told authorities the high-performance Porsche was not street racing at the time, and L.A. County sheriff’s officials say eyewitnesses did not see a second car.
The limited-production, 2005 Porsche Carrera GT has a history of being difficult to control.
The sports car is capable of reaching 100 mph in under seven seconds. It was built without the stability management system that most Porsche models are equipped with.
Jeremy Clarkson, co-host of the BBC‘s “Top Gear” television show, said during his review of the car: “You need to be awake to drive this fast. It really isn’t an easy car to control. The clutch is brutal, the power is savage and the handling ... you really are on a knife edge. But if you put in the effort, boy, oh boy do you get the rewards.
“It is a phenomenon -- mind-blowingly good. Make a mistake, it bites your head off.”
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