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This somber location marks where actor Paul Walker was killed in a single vehicle crash along Hercules Street in the Valencia neighborhood of Santa Clarita, California on November 30, 2013. Walker was best known for playing Brian O'Conner in the Fast & Furious franchise. His death was massive news w/ thousands of fans crowding the site shortly afterwards to pay their final respect.
The day Paul Walker died, he was hosting a fundraiser event nearby for victims of Typhoon Haiyan. He briefly left w/ Roger Rodas driving his 2005 Porsche Carrera GT & was going b/w 80-93mph on this 45mph zone section when he lost control & crashed into a lamp post & two trees, to which his vehicle caught on fire. In the autopsy, Walker was alive for at least 60 seconds but ultimately he & Rodas were killed & burned beyond recognition.
It was surreal to stand here, let alone realize that this incident was already nearly nine years ago at the time of this photo. Many fans still come here & leave their tributes on the sidewalk & lamp post, though it gets painted over often. Hercules Street, being an industrial parkway, remains a popular street for burnouts & drifting based on the visible tire marks. The main tree stump where Walker hit is still visible.
As a personal note, I was looking back on my uploaded panoramas on 360cities & the day Walker died, I was hiking in the lightly snowed Needles section of Canyonlands National Park, Utah visiting Chesler Park & ultimately headed to Druid Arch.
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