Paul Walker’s Autopsy Reveals Cause of Death

Vanity Fair

Julie Miller

Courtesy of Getty Images
Courtesy of Getty Images

Breaking news on Paul Walker's tragic death: an autopsy, performed on Tuesday, has revealed that Walker died of the combined effects of traumatic and thermal injuries this past Saturday, after a fatal car crash in Valencia, California. Roger Rodas, Walker's business partner who was driving the Porsche Carrera GT at the time of the accident, died of multiple traumatic injuries.

Meanwhile, officials have told People that Walker and Rodas were driving over 90 m.p.h. when their Porsche GT hit a light pole, two trees, and a sign indicating the 45 m.p.h. speed limit. Sources close to Walker and Rodas maintain that a mechanical failure was likely the reason for the crash and that if investigators can find a black box in the vehicle, which Porsche apparently sometimes puts in its cars, it will shed more light on details of the crash-including the vehicle's speed at the time of the accident, whether passengers were wearing seat belts, and other relevant information about the car immediately before and after the collision.

The deaths were both ruled to be accidental.

Toxicology results could take up to several weeks. Universal has since shut down production on Fast & Furious 7 to decide how to proceed with the movie. (According to reports, only about half of Walker's scenes had been filmed before the actor returned to California during a production hiatus.) The studio has also released an official statement on the actor's tragic passing and the state of the franchise:

"Right now, all of us at Universal are dedicated to providing support to Paul's immediate family and our extended Fast & Furious family of cast, crew and filmmakers. At this time we feel it is our responsibility to shut down production on Fast & Furious 7 for a period of time so we can assess all options available to move forward with the franchise. We are committed to keeping Fast & Furious fans informed, and we will provide further information to them when we have it. Until then, we know they join us in mourning the passing of our dear friend Paul Walker."

Universal has also pledged to donate a percentage of the proceeds from Fast & Furious 6 home sales to Walker's charity Reach Out Worldwide.

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