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Paul Walker dead: Car crash that killed Fast & Furious actor due to speed, not mechanical failure, police conclude

The actor’s friend, Roger Rodas, was driving a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT last November when it collided into trees

Jenn Selby
Wednesday 26 March 2014 06:11 EDT
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Paul Walker tops list of the most searched for People of 2013
Paul Walker tops list of the most searched for People of 2013 (Getty Images)

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The fatal car crash that killed Paul Walker in December 2013 was caused by speed and not mechanical failure, it has been confirmed.

The actor’s friend, Roger Rodas, was driving a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT last November when it collided into trees and a pole.

Experts at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department ruled out speculation that the accident had been caused by a mechanical failure.

“Investigators determined the cause of the fatal solo-vehicle collision was unsafe speed for the roadway conditions,” Commander Mike Parker said.

Rodas was driving between 80 to 93mph in a 45mph zone when he lost control of the vehicle.

“The vehicle had no mechanical failure and the damage that occurred to the vehicle was from the collision,” he added.

Police also dismissed reports that Walker and Rodas had been drag racing against a second vehicle before the incident occurred.

Filming for Fast & Furious 7 is set to resume at the end of this month.

It has been rumoured that Walker’s unfinished scenes are set to be completed with CGI technology and body doubles.

The news comes just weeks after the sunglasses Paul Walker was believed to have been wearing on the day he died were auctioned online.

The seller of the charred, black frames alleges that he found them in a bush near the scene of the fatal accident on 30 November in Santa Clarita, California.

According to the website BidAMI.com, the mystery auctioneer was ordered away from the wreckage by police, when he located them.

“The owner of this lot offering was nearby and on scene for information and assistance with officers and reporters,” the listing stated.

“Once the site investigation was cleared with car debris hauled away and tape taken down, a responding officer allowed him as well as others back to the public site.

“The only thing left was a charred ivy brush, minor residual debris, a knocked down pole and tree. As the consigner walked the scene in disbelief and grief, he found a pair of sunglasses nearby in the ivy.

“After showing one of the officers, he was waved off. The glasses were dirty so he wrapped them in a handkerchief and put them in his pocket. He also found some residual debris nearby which he kept in memorandum.”

Walker was pictured wearing a similar-looking pair at the Reach Out Worldwide charity event he attended shortly before he perished alongside driver Roger Rodas after the red Porsche Carrera GT he was travelling in collided with a lamp post and burst into flames.

The listing also included a fire extinguisher, which the owner claims was used to put out the fire at the scene, as well as other crash debris.

A spokesperson from the Santa Clarita local police department told the LA Times: “As a department we doubt that they are actually Paul Walker's sunglasses. But who knows, maybe they are. Right now we doubt it.”

Two men were arrested in December for stealing parts of the Porsche as it was towed away from the scene of the accident to be impounded.

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