# Paul Walker has Died. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184 "2013-12-01T03:12:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/21 "2013-12-01T04:07:09Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > How far was he into the filming of FF7? I imagine they find a way to re-write, edit, or re-shoot things to release it(dedicated to him, of course). Wikipedia says that they started filming in September. So perhaps they can rewrite the movie to kill off his character mid-story. (I’m sure that the production company is thinking about this right now. In fact, I’ll bet that they’ve already had a conference call to discuss it.) ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/22 "2013-12-01T04:07:22Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > The car was a Porsche, likely a 911 or 911 derivative at that sort of income level which means that it is a rear-engined car with the fuel tank in front. A fire would indicate a very high rate of speed as Porsches meet DOT standards for front impacts. > > Chances are it was a guy showing off his new wheels, driving a car noted for tricky handling well beyond his capabilities, and they both paid the price for it. > > RIP. It was a Porsche GT, very fast and very expensive. > **[Paul Walker dead at 40: ‘Fast and Furious’ star killed in fiery car crash](https://www.nydailynews.com/2013/12/02/paul-walker-dead-at-40-fast-and-furious-star-killed-in-fiery-car-crash/)** > > Actor Paul Walker — a self-styled adrenaline junkie best known for his role in “The Fast and the Furious” movies — was killed Saturday in a fiery single-car wreck in Souther… ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/23 "2013-12-01T04:11:01Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Chances are it was a guy showing off his new wheels, driving a car noted for tricky handling well beyond his capabilities, and they both paid the price for it. > > RIP. Paul Walker wasn’t driving. The other guy was. It was Walker’s car, though. Who know what happened? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/24 "2013-12-01T04:11:57Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > didn’t know who he was. don’t care > > fast and furious are dumm movies for the plebs So don’t post in the thread about him. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/25 "2013-12-01T04:18:14Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > didn’t know who he was. don’t care > > fast and furious are dumm movies for the plebs Criticism of his movies is permissible, but this is obnoxious and trollish. I’m giving you a warning and you will probably get more of them if you don’t refine your schtick. _Trolling is not allowed here._ ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/26 "2013-12-01T04:19:28Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > didn’t know who he was. don’t care > > fast and furious are dumm movies for the plebs Really?!:rolleyes::mad::dubious: I knew who was, never saw the movies, just not my thing. but you have nothing better to do than come in here and be an asshole? And people say I’m pathetic. Just go to hell, I’ll even help you on your way.:mad::mad::mad: ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/27 "2013-12-01T04:20:54Z")
That sucks. Never got into his movies, but by all reports he was a nice guy and not an attention whore. Feel bad for his daughter. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/28 "2013-12-01T04:28:45Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > That sucks. Never got into his movies, but by all reports he was a nice guy and not an attention whore. Feel bad for his daughter. I checked and apparently, I’ve only seen one of his movies. The Skulls. Your feelings summarize mine. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/29 "2013-12-01T04:34:01Z")
> [@Foggy](#): > > Really?!:rolleyes::mad::dubious: > > I knew who was, never saw the movies, just not my thing. but you have nothing better to do than come in here and be an asshole? And people say I’m pathetic. > > Just go to hell, I’ll even help you on your way.:mad::mad::mad: This is also completely out of line. Everybody: knock it off. ---
**Author:** ![mbetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@mbetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbetter)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/30 "2013-12-01T04:36:19Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > That sucks. Never got into his movies, but by all reports he was a nice guy and not an attention whore. Feel bad for his daughter. The other guy’s daughter too, if he had one. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/31 "2013-12-01T04:44:07Z")
Reports are that the “other guy” was [Roger Rodas](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoA-5tWihic). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/32 "2013-12-01T05:00:48Z")
If he was the driver, [this page](http://www.world-challenge.com/drivers/bio.php?name=Roger%20Rodas) seems to indicate that he had experience at driving race cars, and that he was a business partner of Paul Walker, This is the [website](http://www.alwaysevolving.com/) of their business. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/33 "2013-12-01T05:04:49Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > This is also completely out of line. Everybody: knock it off. Can we still make Fast & Furious puns? As for the series: It’ll go on; it’s too profitable and it’s not exactly the kind of delicate plot and set of characters that cannot survive a loss. Maybe they’ll even do a hokey Dale Earnhardt-type commemoration in the next movie. Yes, I see it, a poster or t-shirt with Dale Earnhardt on the left, Paul Walker on the right. In the background, an American flag and in the foreground, a semi-transparent eagle soaring toward the sky. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/34 "2013-12-01T05:23:13Z")
On Reddit someone linked to the street view area of the crash, the 360 views are from last year. [https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m8!1m3!1d3!2d-118.579056!3d34.453404!2m2!1f95.29!2f73.11!4f75!2m7!1e1!2m2!1sj6cKcUc3jDx7-WOi9YRbkA!2e0!5m2!1sj6cKcUc3jDx7-WOi9YRbkA!2e0&fid=5](https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m8!1m3!1d3!2d-118.579056!3d34.453404!2m2!1f95.29!2f73.11!4f75!2m7!1e1!2m2!1sj6cKcUc3jDx7-WOi9YRbkA!2e0!5m2!1sj6cKcUc3jDx7-WOi9YRbkA!2e0&fid=5) If one goes forward from that location to the next curve, just a few yards forward, there is a mess of circling skid marks on the road made at different times, looks like a place rich car enthusiasts liked to use to test their wheels. [https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m8!1m3!1d3!2d-118.577779!3d34.453807!2m2!1f95.29!2f73.11!4f75!2m7!1e1!2m2!1smo5HllcyxbAFKaK73U6LCQ!2e0!5m2!1smo5HllcyxbAFKaK73U6LCQ!2e0&fid=5](https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m8!1m3!1d3!2d-118.577779!3d34.453807!2m2!1f95.29!2f73.11!4f75!2m7!1e1!2m2!1smo5HllcyxbAFKaK73U6LCQ!2e0!5m2!1smo5HllcyxbAFKaK73U6LCQ!2e0&fid=5) ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/35 "2013-12-01T05:25:05Z")
As someone who has driven cars similar to this, it’s really easy to forget that you are basically driving a missile …it happens to the best of us. I’m thankful, quite seriously, that i can’t afford one of my own. I knew him through people (not terribly well) and knew him to be quite a nice fellow. He was responsible for a good deal of my guilty pleasure movies as well, such as Varsity Blues, Meet the Deedles, and of course the fast series . This one makes me sad. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/36 "2013-12-01T06:00:09Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Honestly, I’m wondering about the circumstances of the accident. The reports say that the car hit a light pole and then burst into flames. I thought that cars were designed better than that. Or is the fire a sign that they were going way too fast? If they lost control and spun, they may have impacted the pole with the side of the car. Those can be bad as you’ve lost your crumple zone protection and it’s a narrow impact point, which focuses the crash energy. Looking forward to hearing more about it. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/37 "2013-12-01T06:19:05Z")
TMZ has a photo of the crash, and I can locate the site of GoogleEarth from that. I’m not certain the light pole he hit was a breakaway design as I’m not seeing a slip base on it. Low speed, behind a curb – you can do that. However, it’s not a design I’m familiar with, so it may be. He also appears to have hit at least one tree (small, but still a fixed object). It’s uphill, and right after a curve. Fairly large radius curve, but still a curve. My first guess is the driver was headed north at a high rate of speed, lost control, and spun off the road into the pole then the tree(s). ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/38 "2013-12-01T06:23:08Z")
He apparently lived here in Santa Barbara at least part time. I didn’t know him but a few of my friends did and they are all saying that he was down to earth and a genuinely nice and friendly guy. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/39 "2013-12-01T06:31:04Z")
I just watched Top Gear’s review of the Porsche Carrera GT back when it came out and Jeremy Clarkson said it was a thrilling, unbelievably fast car and he loved it but that it was very hard to drive and the handling was unforgiving. The Stig spun it out on his first attempt around the track. It sounds like the car gives almost no margin for error. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184/40 "2013-12-01T06:59:19Z")
Man, that wreck isn’t even recognizable as a car anymore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-walker-has-died/675184.md?page=3)