I always drive the route when going to visit home (LA) and theintersection where the crash occurred is somewhere off to theright of the present intersection, so it is hard to say whathappened just by driving through there. what happened to donald turnupseed car. In it, Dean fiddles nervously with a rope lasso and ends the spot by saying, Take it easy driving the life you save may be mine. From 1957 to 1959, the exhibit toured the country in various custom car shows, movie theatres, bowling alleys, and highway safety displays throughout California. Verify and try again. They stopped at a nearby Mobil station on Ventura Blvd. With him in the car was his Porsche factory-trained mechanic, Rolf Wtherich. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Donald Turnupseed, the Tulare man who quietly built a family business and endeavored to maintain his privacy after being involved in the car accident that killed actor James Dean four decades ago, has died at age 63. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. > Just to amplyfy my post. "The last 10 years he didn't do thatmuch," Nelson said. Required fields are marked *. It seems like iremember something about him getting arrested for flying in drugs in a small plane? So, likely to protect his investment and reputation, Barris promoted the curse by placing the wreck on public display. I liked him very much, too. His family also helped shield him from reporters. Ernest Tripke and his partner, Corp. Ronald Nelson were called to the scene. Try again later. They remarked that when the young method actor returned to Fairmount after making a Pepsi commercial and a bit part on TV, Dean attended a high school dance. Deans Porsche itself carried on. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Not much time to react for either driver. His death secured a legacy and marketable immortality. Turnupseed was coming home to Tulare from Cal Poly State University,San Luis Obispo, where he was a student. Just after purchase, Dean was driving his new car around Hollywood on September 23, 1955 when he ran into British actor Alec Guinness outside the Villa Capri restaurant. At 5:45 PM on September 30, 1955, Donald Turnupseed was headed east on Route 466 in his 1950 Ford. This is a carousel with slides. Unfortunately, Turnupseed had already started to make his turn before he saw the Porsche traveling quickly toward him. The present alignment has no stop sign and uses a left turn lane rather than the original "Y" layout. I find it hard to agree with the statement Turnipseed was at fault. Donald Turnupseed, a college student, was making his way towards Fresno with no intention of making headlines . I read that the insurance investigators, CHP. > Regarding the James Dean crash: My father with the attending physician for> James Dean's mechanic, Rolf Wuertherich. Wasn't there somespeeding on Dean's part? See Photos of Joy-Anna Duggars Baby Bump as She Expects Baby No. It burned two tires and scorched the paint on the vehicle. Barris claimed that the deathcar mysteriously disappeared in 1960 while returning from a traffic safety exhibit in Florida in a sealed railroad boxcar. I saw the TV special and it appeared to use the present highway alignment. "He turned it into a little race car." Dramatic never-before-seen photographs from the wreckage of James Dean's fatal car crash have been unearthed 64 years after the Hollywood legend's horrific death. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Details of James Deans last hours on earth have been well documented but are worth revisiting. The Spyder also reportedly fell on and killed George Barkus, the driver who transported it to a road-safety expo. Meanwhile, Barris had sold a pair of tires from the 550 and both reportedly blew at the same time, causing the new owner to career off the road. Dean was the unwilling recipient of a steering wheel and dash, while his luckier passenger was ejected from the car. Shortly after the crash, publicity monger and self-proclaimed King of Kustoms George Barris bought the Spyder, promising to rebuild it. PARTI. Add to your scrapbook. Are Janelle, Christine and Meri Suing Kody Over Money From Coyote Pass? at Beverly Glen Blvd. Miraculously, the driver of the Ford, US Navy veteran Donald Turnupseed emerged with just a few facial bruises and a bloody nose. You do not have permission to delete messages in this group, Either email addresses are anonymous for this group or you need the view member email addresses permission to view the original message, Imagine having to live with the knowledge you killed James Dean! There was never an official finding of fault in the crash, however standard driving procedure would indicate that Turnupseed was at fault since he made the left in front of Dean. After being interviewed by the CHP, Turnupseed hitch-hiked in the dark to his home in Tulare. On Sept. 30, 1955, iconic actor James Dean and a friend were speeding along Route 466 in Cholame, in his sleek, silver 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder when it slammed head-on into a 1950 Ford Tudor coupe driven by 23-year-old college student Donald Turnipseed. The cause of the fire is unknown. He lived almost 40 years after this accident, and gave only one interview, and that was a day after the accident, and that to his local paper. Thx. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? You have chosen this person to be their own family member. The 4-Cam Porsche engine (#90059), along with the original California Owners Registration (a.k.a. A copy is posted here in Woodland at Chubby's Diner with other Dean> memorabilia. > You said much the same thing here when we discussed this in 1999. Turnupseed was president of the San Joaquin Valley chapter of NationalElectrical Contractors Association 1990-94. This account has been disabled. Shortly before 5pm, Dean was traveling east on Route 46 when he collided with a Ford Tudor driven by Donald Turnupseed, who was turning The 24-year-old was driving west on US Route 466 in California, bound for a racing event in Salinas, on September 30, 1955, when his 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder collided with a 1950 Ford Tudor driven. which presents an alternative history that tells us what might have happened if Dean had survived the crash. | The H.A.M.B. Your email address will not be published. As Dean and Wutherich drove west on the now-nonexistent Route 466 toward Route 41, near the intersection of present-day Highways 46 and 41 northeast of Paso Robles, Cal Poly student Donald Turnupseed pulled his Ford . cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Despite being declared a total loss by the insurance company, the car was sold on and would continue to cause carnage wherever itor even parts of itwent. The route was upgraded and moved slightly north in the 1960s. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. There was an interesting analysis on US television some years ago aboutthe Dean crash. Turnupseed was a 23 year old college student at Cal Poly State University when driving eastbound on Route 466 (later renamed Route 46) when attempting to make a left turn onto Route 41, when he collided with Dean's Porsche traveling in the opposite direction, killing him instantly. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. A few of those stories can be corroborated. Around 5:45 p.m., a black-and-white 1950 Ford Tudor Custom coupe traveling at high speed was headed east on Route 466 just west of the town of Shandon. Jack Elsom For Mailonline, Tearful moment couple is surprised halfway through their wedding by the man whoreceived their 11-year-old son's donated heart and they're able to listen to it beating in his chest for the first time in seven years, Was speeding Tesla driving in autopilot when it ran a red light and killed a pedestrian? Customers includeKraft Foods, Haagen Dazs, US Cold Storage and California MilkProducers, among others. Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction, said: 'The early death of James Dean reverberates to this day. In 1981 he too died in a car crash. When he reached the Route 41 junction, he went to take a left turn - not noticing the small silver Porsche headed in the opposite direction. We had a go at this in a.o in mid-1999. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Turnupseed's car crossed into Dean's lane while making a left turn. Just what was that ticket for? 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Both Turnupseed and Dean's mechanic Rolf Wutherich were unscathed in the horrific accident. Oddly, I happen to have a copy of Dean's death certificate as Iknow some of the men who signed it (not my Dad, though). See Paris Jackson's Transformation Over the Years, It's Over! When people ask me why I do this, I>> say, if James Dean had had his headlights on, he would still be alive>> today.>. "As a business person, (DonaldTurnupseed) learned from his dad. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. In the wake of Deans death Turnupseed was quickly forgotten. James Dean and his Porsche Spyder. ). 46 toward the junction. Dean was driving around 55-60 miles per hour. The Ford, driven by 23-year-old Cal Poly student Donald Turnupseed, was turning at an intersection when the two cars hit almost head-on, resulting in massive damage to Dean's Porsche. A woman with nursing experience attended to Dean and detected a weak pulse in his neck, but according to the woman, death appeared to have been instantaneous. IMHO, From the looks of the crash photos, the (5 yr. old) Ford looks to be a total Major body/frame damage.