Movie fans in Knoxville, Tennessee, were shocked and saddened to learn of the death of 40-year-old actor Paul Walker. Walker, who starred in the ‘Fast & Furious” movies, died recently in a car accident. He was riding as a passenger in a car driven by a teammate on his racing team. The crash occurred a short distance from where he was hosting a charity event.

The afternoon crash happened not far from a car shop owned by the driver of the car. Witnesses described the vehicle as a high- performance Porsche that apparently slammed into a light pole at a high rate of speed before bursting into flames. Guests at the charity event claimed to have heard the sound of the car accident and raced to the scene in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue the trapped occupants from the vehicle.

Law enforcement officials said the impact of the crash knocked over the light pole and turned the $450,000 vehicle into an unrecognizable mass of charred and twisted metal. Flames prevented rescuers from getting to the two men. Firefighters and emergency personnel worked for hours to extract the bodies from what was left of the vehicle.

Family members of car accident victims who die from the trauma of an automobile accident might be entitled to compensation for the loss of their loved one. A cause of action for personal injury and wrongful death might be available against a negligent driver if it can be proven that the driver’s conduct was the cause of the accident and the resulting death. Even in situations where the person responsible for the accident is killed, a personal injury attorney might help family members of an accident victim in determining if a wrongful death action could be brought against the estate of the deceased driver.

Source: CNN, “‘Fast & Furious’ star Paul Walker killed in car crash“, Alan Duke, December 02, 2013