Authorities are still trying to piece together how the car crash that killed Fast & Furious star Paul Walker happened. He was just 40-years-old and new reports suggest that the actor may have been in a drag race.
Walker’s death was first reported by TMZ Saturday afternoon, within hours of the one-car accident in Santa Clarita. He had been a passenger in a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT and both he and the driver died. The driver’s name was Roger Rodas.
Since then, there have been several key developments. Earlier today, TMZ claimed that a source close to the shop where the car had recently been worked on that there could have been a malfunction. Sources say that the malfunctions could be factory errors, since the car was not modified. Others note that Rodas was such a good driver that they are skeptical that he lost control.
Later, law enforcement sources told TMZ that Walker and Rodas may have been involved in a drag race, which could explain why they were going so fast. An investigator also told CNN that drag racing may have been involved, but Jim Torp, who ran the charity event Walker attended Sunday, didn’t believe that.
Torp was a witness as well and said that there was an explosion before the car hit a pole and burst into flames. “What the first explosion was, I don't know if their tire blew up, because it sounded like a tire blew on the car,” he told CNN.
Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Investigator Dana Bee told the LA Daily News that the bodies from the crash were badly burned and they are still listed as John Does while they wait for dental records.
“They are not identifiable by conventional means, and that includes fingerprints," Bee told the paper. "So, we've established contact with representatives from both families."
Meanwhile, Hollywood continues to mourn the loss of the popular young actor. Universal his reportedly still going ahead with Fast & Furious 7, but production will be delayed.
image: Universal/image.net