Paul Walker: Video Shows Car Engulfed in Flames After Deadly Crash
The 8-year-old son of Roger Rodas, 38, was one of the first to the site of the horrific car crash that claimed the lives of his father and 40-year-old actor Paul Walker on Saturday.
Before the flames had even died down around the Porsche Carrera GT after it smashed into a tree during a charity event in Santa Clarita, California, Rodas' son heroically came rushing to try and pull his dad from the inferno.
'His son had jumped the fence and gone over, he was trying to get his dad out,' said eyewitness Jim Torp.
The tragic detail emerged after footage surfaced of the Fast & Furious actor stepping into his friend's ill-fated sports car just 30 minutes before the horrendous crash in which the pair lost their lives.
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In this tragic photograph actor Paul Walker, best known for his role in the Fast & Furious action movies, is seen stepping into his friend Roger Rodas' Porsche GT just moments before the horrendous crash in which the pair lost their lives
According to Radar Online, the crash happened so close to the charity event that Walker was attending that Rodas's son was on the scene in mere seconds.
'There was nothing he could do,' Torp said.
TMZ reports that the crash occurred as the friends were on their way back from a 20 minute drive.
Prior to that drive, Rodas had personally taken the wheel of the vehicle after one of the former race car driver's employees at the upscale auto shop he owned was having issues backing the car up into the garage. The vehicle reportedly kept stalling for the employee.
As Rodas took control, Walker hopped in because he hadn't yet had a chance to take a spin in the impressive sports car.
The crash occurred just yards away from the auto shop as the friends returned.
The county coroner has revealed that the bodies of Walker and and his friend/business partner were so badly burned in the horrific incident that they are currently unidentifiable.
'There was a post-collision fire and bodies are not visually identifiable,' said L.A. County deputy coroner Dana Bee.
Paul Walker, 40, was killed in the crash along with his friend and business partner Roger Rodas, right, who was driving. The star leaves behind a 15-year-old daughter, Meadow, left, who had recently moved to California from Hawaii to be closer to him
Fans gather and place flowers on Sunday at the scene of a fiery crash that killed Fast & Furious star Paul Walker in the Santa Clarita area of Los Angeles
The L.A. County Coroner's office has requested dental records for both victims before they can identify the bodies. Autopsies on both bodies have been delayed until later this week, reports TMZ.
Walker, who appeared in five of the six films about illegal street racing and heists, had been at an event for his charity Reach Out Worldwide before deciding to take the car, a cherry-red Porsche, out for a drive with his friend.
Walker was a self-confessed adrenaline junkie who enjoyed fast cars, surfing and outdoor pursuits. On his official Twitter account, he described himself as 'outdoorsman, ocean addict, adrenaline junkie ... and I do some acting on the side.'
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that speed was a factor in the crash.
?He lived his life and he died fast and furious today. He loved speed, he loved cars, and he had to die this way. He died in a very fast car with his friend,? Torp told the Daily News.
Up and down the road near the crash site were burned rubber and doughnut marks as though someone smoked their tires in figure 8 patterns.
?I don't know if the marks in the road are related to the crash,? said Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Brian Allen.
The wreck took place about 3:30 p.m., about 300 yards from the office park where the event was held and where the speed limit is 45 mph.
Guests rushed to put out the flames with fire extinguishers but the fireball had already engulfed the car.
Deputies arrived to find a vehicle on fire and once fire crews put the flames out, they found two occupants. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
By Saturday evening, all that remained was the burnt mangled metal of the red car and a light pole that had been knocked down.
The driver of the car was identified as former race car driver Rodas, who was also Walker's financial adviser. The pair were friends and had been racing for several years before they began collaborating on Walker's finances.
Better days: Here, Walker is pictured with his 15-year-old daughter Meadow (far right) as he takes a break from filming in Montreal back in June
Woman he left behind: Walker had been dating Jasmine Pilchard-Gosnell, 23, for the past seven years, relatives have said she is ?broken up? over his loss and that she was quickly becoming a stepmother to Meadow
Fans write remembrances, left, while leaving flowers, candles and even DVDs, right, at the scene of the crash that killed Paul Walker and his friend Roger Rodas in the Santa Clarita area of Los Angeles on Saturday
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that speed was a factor in the crash and that up and down the road near the crash site were burned rubber and doughnut marks as though someone smoked their tires in figure 8 patterns
Wreckage: Actor Paul Walker died in the crash alongside his friend after they decided to take the sports car out for a spin during a charity event
Horror crash: First responders gather evidence near the wreckage of a Porsche sports car that crashed into a light pole on Hercules Street near Kelly Johnson Parkway in Valencia on Saturday, November 30, killing actor Paul Walker
The remains of the Porsche that Walker and his friend died in is taken away. The L.A. County Coroner has requested dental records for both victims before they can identify the bodies
TMZ also reports that Walker's childhood friend Nute was one of the first to reach the fiery crash with a fire extinguisher and tried desperately to put out the fire despite seeing quite clearly that the crash was not survivable.
Nute then swung at responding officers, who initially placed him under arrest but let him go once the circumstances became clear.
Walker leaves behind a 15-year-old daughter, Meadow, who had recently moved to California from Hawaii to be closer to him.
The actor was also dating Jasmine Pilchard-Gosnell, 23, when he died and she is ?broken up? over his loss, relatives have revealed.
Her uncle Barton Bruner said that she is being comforted by her mother Julie as she struggles to cope with the ?horrible? news.
Bruner said: ?Paul was a really good guy and Jasmine is broken up by this. I went to Thanksgiving with him, played golf with him.
?They had their ups and downs but they were together and looking to spend a bright future together.
?This is horrible news and unexpected. Her mother is with her and she is comforting her?.
Across social media sites, fans have been posting a quote - 'If one day the speed kills me, do not cry because I was smiling' - attributed to Walker
A memorial for Paul Walker: Fans have been paying their respects to the Fast and Furious actor at the scene of the crash, he died on Saturday afternoon along with his friend Roger Rodas
'Hurting so bad': Co-stars and fans were both shaken by the news of the actor's death. Fast & Furious co-star Tyrese took to Twitter, writing: 'My heart is hurting so bad.' Tyrese was seen at the crash site visibly emotional as he mourned his friend's death
'Race in paradise': The memorial near the site of the Santa Clarita gained more visitors, mementos, flowers and messages of remembrance on Sunday
'Unbelievable': Visitors to the memorable found the scene difficult to see following the crash that left a charred Porsche wrapped around a tree. Even after authorities picked over the scene, it remained difficult for some to see. 'It was just unbelievable,' said Sandra Caipo, who visited the scene
Walker reportedly started dating Pilchard-Gosnell when she was just 16, meaning he would have been 33, an age gap of 17 years.
She was supposedly beginning to become the step-mother to Walker?s daughter, even though she is only 10 years older.
The star's representatives and official Facebook page have confirmed his death.
Ame Van Iden, Walker's publicist, said in an email: 'Sadly, I must confirm that Paul did pass away this afternoon in a car accident.'
The actor's official Facebook page was also updated with the message: 'It is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that Paul Walker passed away today in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide.
'He was a passenger in a friend's car, in which both lost their lives.
High powered: The cherry-red Porsche Carrera GT that Paul Walker died in on Saturday afternoon when his friend apparently lost control of the vehicle, hitting a light pole
[h=3]THE OTHER VICTIM: WALKER'S FRIEND AND BUSINESS ASSOCIATE[/h]
The driver of the car that killed Paul Walker has been identified as former race car driver Roger Rodas, 38, who was also Walker's financial adviser.
The pair were friends and had been racing for several years before they began collaborating on Walker's finances.
Rodas had helped Walker establish his Reach Out Worldwide charity, after creating his own foundation to support widows and orphans in his native El Salvador.
Rodas was also the CEO of Always Evolving, the car customization shop where Saturday's charity event had been taking place. Walker was an investor in the business.
It is believed the pair were leaving the event when the crash occurred.
'We appreciate your patience as we too are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news.
'Thank you for keeping his family and friends in your prayers during this very difficult time. We will do our best to keep you apprised on where to send condolences. - #TeamPW.'
Since the crash, fans and people wishing to pay their respects have left messages of condolence as well as candles and flowers at the site of the crash.
Across social media sites, fans have been posting a quote - 'If one day the speed kills me, do not cry because I was smiling' - that is attributed to Walker.
While at the event, Walker and Rodas decided to take the Porsche GT out for a spin.
One witness, Jim Tort, who was at the event told the NY Daily News, Rodas' eight-year-old son tried to save his dad.
'I ran over afterwards, I was trying to find Roger's son.
'I found out his son had jumped the fence and gone over. He was trying to get his dad out.
Coroner Ed Winters said the bodies were so badly burned they would take days for them to be positively identified.
Witnesses at the crash scene posted a video of the scene on YouTube showing debris from the wreckage while emergency workers cordoned off the area. Photographs also show a burnt out shell of a car.
Friends of the star told a local newspaper they 'went through fire extinguishers' in a futile bid to fight the blaze that engulfed the car after the crash.
Antonio Holmes told the Santa Clarita Signal: 'We all ran around and jumped in cars and grabbed fire extinguishers and immediately went to the vehicle. It was engulfed in flames. There was nothing.
'They were trapped. Employees, friends of the shop. We tried. We tried.'
Holmes added: 'Him and his buddy, his brother in arms at heart just decided to joyride, take a spin. Something we all do. We?re all car enthusiasts...
'We?re all here driving, enjoying each other, and God must?ve needed help.
'When we saw Paul and Roger leave, Paul was the passenger in the vehicle. They both were experienced drivers.
'This was just a tragic accident that happened on a joyride,' said witness Jim Torp of Santa Clarita.
In the 'Fast & Furious', the blond-haired, blue-eyed actor played Brian O'Conner, a law enforcement official and starred in all but one of the six action blockbusters which began in 2001.
He was born in Los Angeles and brought Californian surfer good-looks and an easy, warm charm to the popular street-racing series.
'All of us at Universal are heartbroken,' Universal Pictures said in a statement.
'Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years, and this loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the Fast and Furiousfilms, and to countless fans.'
Tragic: One witness, Jim Tort, said that one of those people on the scene who witnessed the crash and attempted to help the men was Roger Rodas' eight-year-old son
Aftermath: Firefighters attend the scene where Paul Walker died when the car he was a passenger in crashed into a pole and a tree
Engulfed: This witness photo shows the Porsche completely engulfed by flames after the driver lost control, hitting a pole and killing himself and Paul Walker
Desperate: Bystanders desperately tried to put out the flames with fire extinguishers but the fire was too strong
<center> On the scene: Fast & Furious actor dies in fiery car wreck
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Crash site: Sheriff deputies work near the wreckage of the Porsche sports car that crashed into a pole on Hercules Street near Kelly Johnson Parkway in Valencia
[INDENT]
[IMG]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/01/article-2516303-19BF92F200000578-804_964x654.jpg[/IMG] Mystery: Investigators do not know what caused the driver of the vehicle to lose control and crash into a pole
Investigation: Fire officers examine the wreckage of the burnt out car where Paul Walker and his friend died
After a long evaluation the coroners laid the two bodies into body bags and transported them into the coroner's van
[/INDENT]
A friend lost: Tech entrepreneur and author Bill Townsend posted this picture of himself with Paul Walker taken hours before the actor's tragic death in a car accident in California
Touching: Ludacris posted this tribute to tragic co-star Paul Walker on his Facebook page on Saturday
His 'Fast & Furious' co-star Vin Diesel posted a photograph of him and Walker arm-in-arm on Instagram with the message: 'Brother I will miss you very much'
[h=3]WALKER WAS DUE ON SET NEXT WEEK: WHAT NEXT FOR THE FAST & FURIOUS FRANCHISE?[/h]Following the tragic death of Paul Walker, the entire future of the extremely popular Fast & Furious franchise hangs in limbo.
Walker had been scheduled to fly to Atlanta this week to resume filming, with TMZ reporting that he was supposed to be filming some 'key scenes' for the latest film in the highly successful franchise.
Filming will now grind to a halt following the untimely death of Walker, who played lead character Brian O?Conner in six of seven film installments.
Universal - the studio behind the movie - doesn't know when, or if, they will start shooting again although if it does go ahead the script will require a significant rewrite to explain the loss of such an integral character.
The last film, released in May, was the most lucrative of them all, grossing more than $788 million worldwide.The one sequel that Walker didn't appear in The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) was the least successful.
The seventh installment of the street racing series, also due to star Jordana Brewester, Vin Diesel, Michele Rodriguez and Dwayne Johnson, was scheduled for a July 2014 release.
Director James Wan tweeted that he was ?beyond heartbroken? and was unable to ?process anything? in the hours following the 40-year-old star's death.
The last post to Walker?s Twitter profile before his accident on Saturday was dated Nov. 29, and included a still from what appeared to be the set of Fast & Furious 7 and a message that read 'The boys are back. Will you be ready?'
Walker had recently joked that he would continue working on the long-running film franchise until 'Fast & Furious 66'.
