5 Famous Celebrity Car Accidents
#3 & #5 considered Philadelphia to be their home city
1) Paul Walker | Celebrity Car Accidents
Paul Walker is the most recent example of a celebrity car accidents victim. He was best known for his role in the Fast and the Furious films, died in a fiery car accident in Santa Clarita, California. The 40-year-old was attending a benefit car show to support his Reach Out Worldwide organization’s Philippines typhoon relief effort when he went on a test ride in a new Porsche GT. With someone else behind the wheel. The car hit “a post or a tree” and burst into flames, killing Walker and the driver. Walker’s rep confirmed the tragedy, adding “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.”
2) James Dean | Celebrity Car Accidents
Friends told James Dean that the car was trouble when they saw it . Dean had recently purchased a rare Silver Porsche Spyder, one of only 90 in 1955. Nicknamed “The Little Bastard,” the car drove the iconic actor to his grave on September 30, 1955. James Dean was driving his new Porsche to an auto rally in Salinas, California when he was involved in a head-on collision with a 1950 Ford Tutor. James Dean, only 24 years old, died in the crash. Although already famous for his role in East of Eden, his death and the release of Rebel Without a Cause caused James Dean to soar to cult status. James Dean is forever frozen as a talented, misunderstood, and rebellious youth.
3) Ryan Dunn | Celebrity Car Accidents
Ryan Dunn, one of the stars of MTV’s “Jackass” films and TV series, was killed in a fiery car crash on a Pennsylvania highway. A passenger in Dunn’s 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 was also killed. Dunn, who was 34 years old, was famous for his pranks and dangerous stunts on the show. Upon arrival, police located one vehicle off the road and in the woods that was fully engulfed in flames. A photo of Dunn was posted on his Twitter account about two hours before the wreck showing him with a drink in his hand. The manager of Barnaby’s in West Chester, Pennsylvania, confirmed that the photo was taken in his bar Sunday night. The bar is about a mile away from where Dunn was killed in a car crash. Manager Jim O’Brien confirmed that Dunn was drinking there. “He was a valuable person in our community and his death is a tragedy,” O’Brien said. “He will be missed.”
4) Nick Hogan | Celebrity Car Accidents
17-year-old Nick Hogan, who appeared on the reality show Hogan Knows Best with his wrestling superstar father, Hulk Hogan, was arrested on several criminal charges, including third-degree felony reckless driving involving serious bodily injury. The arrest stemmed from an August car crash that left his passenger in critical condition. The younger Hogan, whose real name is Nick Bollea, was also cited for use of a motor vehicle in commission of a felony, being under the age of 21 and operating a vehicle with a breath-alcohol level of 0.02 percent or higher and illegal window tint. Daniel Jacobs, the 22-year-old driver of a second car, which investigators have concluded was racing Hogan’s at the time of the crash, is also being issued a summons to appear in court for reckless driving. “Nick and the entire ‘Hogan’ Bollea family are saddened that criminal charges have been filed in regards to the tragic single car accident on August 26, 2007,” the family said in a statement. “Nick will meet and answer these charges in the appropriate arena—a court of law.” Despite being a minor at the time of the accident, Hogan was tried on the charge as an adult. Hogan’s passenger, 22-year-old John Graziano, a Marine who had just completed a tour of duty in Iraq, was hospitalized and in a coma after the accident. Graziano, who was not wearing a seatbelt, may have also suffered brain damage . “The family’s primary focus and concern still remains for the continued recovery of Nick’s longtime friend John Graziano,” they said. “The Bolleas will also continue to stand by the Graziano family and help them in any way they can.” Hogan himself sustained minor injuries from the wreck, including a broken arm and ribs along with neck and knee injuries.
5) Lisa Left Eye Lopez | Celebrity Car Accidents
Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, the most eccentric and outspoken member of the multiplatinum trio TLC died at just 30 years old in a tragic car accident. The rapper/singer perished in a car accident while she was vacationing in Honduras. Lopes went down to Honduras, a place she frequently visited, on March 20. While there, she was volunteering at a children’s development center at the Usha Herbal Resource Institute. Left Eye was driving a rented Mitsubishi Montero SUV and traveling from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula. A three-person group called Egypt, which included her brother, sister and two producers were in the vehicle with her. The spokesperson said the SUV tipped over and Left Eye died after sustaining a blow to the head. According to authorities in Jutiapa, Lopes was not licensed to drive internationally and was apparently speeding and lost control. At the time of her death Left Eye had been in the studio working on a track with David Bowie and had hoped to do a song with Eve and Pink based on the theme of Philly pride.