Paul Walker death: Toxicology results may take 6 to 8 weeks
The final word on how “Fast & Furious” star Paul Walker and a friend died will take six to eight weeks as Los Angeles County coroner officials await the results of toxicology tests, officials said.
Preliminary autopsy results released Wednesday found that Walker died from a combination of traumatic injuries and burns after the Porsche he was riding in crashed Saturday and was engulfed in flames. The car’s driver, 38-year-old Roger Rodas, died from traumatic injuries, coroner’s officials said.
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,” officials said. 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.
L.A. County Sheriff’s Department detectives have not determined what caused the crash, but a preliminary investigation indicates speed was a factor, Capt. Mike Parker said.
Just how fast the car was moving is yet to be determined. The speed limit on the street is 45 mph.
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.
At the time of the crash, Walker and his “Fast & Furious” castmates were on a brief Thanksgiving hiatus from filming the seventh installment in the franchise. Universal Studios said this week that production of that film had been halted.
The studios also announced that a portion of the proceeds from home entertainment sales of “Fast & Furious 6” would be donated to Walker’s charity, Reach Out Worldwide.
Universal released a tribute video featuring various cuts of the actor on screen. That video has since gone viral, surpassing 1 million views on YouTube.
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