This Article is From Dec 05, 2013

'Fast and Furious' star Paul Walker died from trauma, thermal injuries

'Fast and Furious' star Paul Walker died from trauma, thermal injuries
Los Angeles: "Fast and Furious" star Paul Walker died of "traumatic and thermal injuries" in a fiery car crash, coroners said Wednesday, as the franchise's makers said they were shutting down production at least temporarily.

Walker, 40, was killed Saturday when he was in the passenger seat of a red Porsche sports car driven by his friend Roger Rodas in the Californian city of Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles.

Rodas died of "multiple traumatic injuries," according to preliminary autopsy results, while Walker's cause of death was listed as the "combined effects of traumatic and thermal injuries."

The results of toxicology tests are still pending, and could take six to eight weeks, the LA County Coroner's office said.

Meanwhile makers of the blockbuster film franchise announced they have shut down production of "Fast and Furious 7" following Walker's death.

"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," said a statement cited by industry journal Variety.

"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."

Shortly before the crash Walker had been at an event to raise money for victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines for Reach Out Worldwide (ROWW), a non-profit disaster relief group the actor founded.

The actor was taking a Thanksgiving break from filming the seventh "Fast and Furious" movie, which had been scheduled for release in July.

The filmmakers added: "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."

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