Paul Walker Death: Questions Remain After Autopsy

Autopsy results show he died from traumatic and thermal injuries
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 4, 2013 12:36 PM CST
Paul Walker Death: Questions Remain After Autopsy
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, Nov. 30, 2013.   (AP Photo/The Santa Clarita Valley Signal, Dan Watson)

Autopsy results are in for Paul Walker and Roger Rodas, showing that Walker died of traumatic and thermal injuries, while Rodas died of traumatic injuries. But many questions still surround the fatal car accident, CNN reports:

  • Did something go wrong with the car? The Porsche Carrera GT has been called "the most dangerous car on the road." And one friend tells CNN he heard a blast before the car hit the light pole, speculating that it sounded a bit like a tire blowing.
  • Was driver error to blame? Police are still trying to determine the speed the car was going at the time, and toxicology results for Walker and Rodas are also pending. Skid marks near the crash site indicate a car that was in the area was doing "donut spins," but a friend who examined them closely says he believes they are from a car with smaller tires.

  • Could Walker have gotten out? Security video from the site shows a light pole and a tree falling—and no smoke starts to rise until a full minute later, indicating that the fire didn't start right away.
  • Did an exposed gas line make things worse? Some are speculating that a gas line was exposed at the site, and that could be why the car exploded, Radar reports. But a rep for SoCal Gas insists that what people are seeing in pictures of the site is actually a water line.
(More Paul Walker stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X