SeanR

Looks like the passenger side hit at an angle, darker tire marks are passenger side wheels, lighter inside ones are drivers. Pole hit and the car spun around clockwise taking out tree number one resting at number two. Unless the car as flipped around at that point but can't see how it would be possible with a right hand turn with the momentum they had. Wow, those pictures sure do show a lot.

mousecatcher

Really? That's generous. I know that we don't know what happened here yet but it does seem to be a case of poor decision making. Not "**** happens".

W8MM

This is a classic gotchya for drivers with not much "old" 911 experience in the CGT (no intense fear of lift-throttle over-steer). I was driving at a Barber Motorsport Park event with multiple CGTs on the track in a lead-follow configuration. On one lap I crested a rise to discover the lead CGT sliding sideways down the track directly in front of me. We all stopped with no damage. I asked the instructor in the lead car what happened? He answered that the driver gave it too much gas, the rear started to go wide and the driver lifted off the throttle. Oops!

Adker

From the picture supplied I think it is clear that the car was going over 30MPH (see attached). What a shame they hit the pole were they did, just a little to the left or right and such a different result. Looks like the driver was on his side of the two way road an went into the slide. Looks like the "Oops" from the post above and no room to recover.
RIP guys.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...57967247,d.aWM

paffy

The converging tire marks suggest a clockwise spinning to me.

The marks look just like every racetrack corner tire marks where cars over-steer on exit and swipe the inside tire wall driver side going tail first.

IMO the car hit the lamp post driver side while going backwards. Both front&rear driver side wheels are dented from the outside from hitting the curb first. The lamp post broke off, the left front of the car swiped the first tree (the fender marks kinda match the damage on the first tree), accelerating the spinning. It did another 180 before it hit the second tree and came to rest there.

At least they both died doing what they loved.

RIP Roger&Paul

JCtx

Did you check the curb on the oncoming traffic lane for impact in the area where you took your first ('approach') picture? I just don't see that accident happening any other way than after bouncing on that curb first, then punting the out-of-control car (probably with broken steering, wheels, deflated tires, etc) to the final impact location, at a still very high rate of speed. That'd also explain the reported loud noise and fluid traces before the final impact. Could be wrong, but guess we'll have to wait for the accident reconstruction to see who got it right . There should have been one by now, no?

Maltese Falcon

Law enforcement states that the on board computers survived the ordeal, and that the car suffered no mechanical defects prior to the crash. Porsche engineers will be in California to examine these computers.

roberga

We're looking at speed and speed alone," a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press. Investigators have found no evidence that the Porsche carrying actor Paul Walker had mechanical problems before it crashed, killing the "Fast & Furious" star.

The investigation also has ruled out debris or other roadway conditions as causing the car in which Walker was a passenger to slam into a light pole and tree.

elooleelo

I walked from the other side to the crash site but didn't notice any collision or marks on outside corner. I certainly could have missed something.

At this point, I think we just wait until the Porsche team confirms the information on data recorders and advises the investigative team. I've heard the most recent reports may have been prematurely released.

wtdoom

I thought the car had recently been serviced ? Investigators have said " at least one of the tyres was made in 2004" . That's madness .

mousecatcher

100+ MPH

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/03/showbi...walker-report/

DreamCarrera

^^^Yeah, sad but not surprising that the coroner's report concluded that the CGT carrying Paul Walker was exceeding 100MPH just before the crash. If nothing else this should alleviate some of the hysteria surrounding the CGT...but I'm sure it won't. As far as the media is concerned, it's sexier to condemn the car(the damn overpriced rich person mobile) than the behavior of the person behind the wheel...

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/paul-wa...184644789.html

Stephen Pitts

Coming back to my earlier post (and now responding to mousecatcher's brief, but rather unhelpful description of it: "**** happens"): in my experience, accidents usually happen when several unexpected things come together for a moment in time which cause the ultimate mishap. We can look at many Formula One accidents to see this (including Senna's). Having looked at all the evidence presented here (and great job guys here on figuring out exactly how the car went into the collision -- precisely as the coroner described the trajectory of the accident), I believe there were probably several contributing factors to the accident. First, there is the obvious one of speed. Second, they had very old tires on the car (uuggghhhh). Third, there was these horrible safety dividers on the road which would have a been a nightmare to your rear wheels at the rotational speed they were going. Fourth, there was the horrifically high curb which they hit sideways (guessing that you become essentially airborne after hitting it and have no more stopping power), and then lastly, the most unfortunate location of their crash right on top of the lamp post and then the two trees. I am not saying that if you removed anyone of these (except for the extreme speed), that the accident would not have happened -- but all of these I believe were most likely contributing factors to the accident (to varying degrees). Some were undoubtedly under their "control": the speed, the tires and the driving of the car. Others were more unforeseen: the big bumpy road dividers and the scene of the crash itself. Anyhow, it takes <7 seconds to get to a 100mph, so I am not sure how apparent their speed was to them as the tragic accident unfolded. They may have been joking around a bit and so the driver's concentration may have not been at its peak -- it's interesting how they made the corner, but lost it coming out of it somewhere near those damn white bumps crossing back into their lane (unless I am mistaken)... Anyhow, our condolences to these tragic victims and their loved ones.

ChristianR

when you play long enough eventually you will pay for it, RIP

ChristianR

you can spin this tragedy however you like in your own mind about this accident, at the end of the day if you are going to be speeding at extreme speeds than you need to take it to the track, fortunately no innocent bystanders where killed due to there stupidity.

you guys should stop looking for excuses or reasons why things like this happen. they made a bad decision and they paid for it.

people like this give car enthusiast a bad name, period

potholes, lane dividers, blah blah blah. again, take it to the track were those hazards do not exist and stop trying to glorify guys like this cause they were driving a Porsche