A friend of mine bought the (good) driver's side> door off of Turnipseed's car as it matched his damaged door.> > I find it hard to agree with the statement Turnipseed was at fault.> > James Dean received a speeding ticket on Highway 99 about a hour before this> wreck. For one thing, motorcycles(required to have illuminated headlamps at all times) wouldn't standout nearly as well if everyone did the same thing.-- _+_ From the catapult of |If anyone disagrees with any statement I make, I_|70|___:)=}- J.D. Dean died instantly. forerunner ventures portfolio . Police pulled over the convoy and issued a pair of speeding tickets just outside Bakersfield. It appears Bruce brown who I was told was Kurt cobains blood father and Bruce told me kurt was my paternal brother, may have traveled this same highway 46. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Turnupseeds death was overshadowed by Deans. I read that the insurance investigators, CHP. ' Dean laughed. cemeteries found in Tulare, Tulare County, California, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. From this vantage point, its also easy to understand how Donald Turnupseed didnt see the tiny silver sports car as it approached from the foot of the Polonio Pass. A man named Donald Turnupseed was driving a Ford truck. Despite a million-dollar reward for information being offered in 2005, Little Bastards whereabouts remain unknown. Live fast, die young and leave a good looking corpse. James Dean was the epitome of that 1949 quote penned by pioneering Chicago African American author Willard Motley. Eschrich crashed the Lotus at the 1956 Pomona sports-car races, surviving, but McHenry wasnt as lucky. No one was injured. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Dean and his mechanic, Rolf Wutherich, were en route to a car race in Salinas on Sept. 30, 1955, when the fatal crash occurred. Didn't mean to imply that it would. The car is said to have fallen from its display while on show in Sacramento, breaking the hip of a bystander. . A road sign rises from the median between the converging lanes ominously proclaiming it as James Dean Memorial Junction. Nelson arrived just in time to see an unconscious and dying Dean being placed into an ambulance. The CHP office at San Luis Obispo said a car driven by Donald Turnupseed of Tulare made a left turn on Highway 41 while traveling east, colliding almost head on with Dean's tiny sports car. Oddly, I happen to have a copy of Dean's death certificate as I know some of the men who signed it (not my Dad, though). We didnt like him because he had all of the girls in the room fawning all over him and we couldnt get a dance. they said. This account has been disabled. Dr. Eschrich installed Deans Porsche 4-cam engine in his Lotus IX race car chassis. During the Civil War, Jack enlisted in the 56th New York Volunteer Infantry. Stephanie survived. What kind of car did James Dean have? He turned and found himself face to face with James Dean. He was headed to his Central . The driver of that car was a college student by the name of Donald Turnupseed and he was only injured in the crash. Wtherich suffered a broken jaw and serious hip and femur injuries, but survived. Although he has refused interviews for decades, Turnupseed did speakwith the Tulare Advance Register hours after the crash. Turnupseed was only slightly injured with facial bruises and a bloody nose. Mildly customized 1950 Ford owned by Donald Turnupseed. 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. See Paris Jackson's Transformation Over the Years, It's Over! You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Poor Donald simply did not see the Sypder coming because of the condition presented by the narrow road and setting sun. never mind that other drivers might not be able to see THEM? I can't tell you the number of times I've been able to easily see alights-on oncoming car against sun glare. Dean only owned the Spyder, chassis number 550-0055, for a little more than a week before his September 30, 1955, crash. The accident scene is approximately 100 feet to the south of the current intersection, where the road used to be. He fought at the Battle of Gettysburg and was part of the unit dispatched to New York City to quell the infamous draft riots there. You make some good points here. Please enter your email and password to sign in. It's just that, if I don't make ahabit of doing it *every* time, I probably wouldn't do it *any* time.Since I've lived most of my adult life in Seattle, it was kind of amoot point anyway. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. I saw the TV special and it appeared to use the present highway alignment which as been redone several times in the last 50 years. Dean became a cultural icon following his starring role as troubled teenager Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). See Photos of Your Favorite Stars Going Topless, Lets Go to the Beach! There you will see the lipstick spotted grave marker covered by more kisses than the yard of bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. However, parts of the original can still be found. Thanks, Shirley, but I don't think I get that channel! I drove that intersection many times as I made the trip> from Paso Robles to Fresno to see a girl friend.> > I saw the TV special and it appeared to use the present highway alignment> which has been redone several times in the last 50 years. We had a go at this in a.o in mid-1999. Turnupseed's car crossed into Dean's lane while making a left turn. Requests for interviews about the Sept. 30, 1955, crash came fromaround the world and served as a constant annoyance to Turnupseed. We didnt see him as a big shot from Hollywood, we saw him as a guy trying to steal our dates.. Although tiny Cholame (population 116) makes Deans hometown of Fairmount, Indiana (population @ 2,600 in 1955) look like a metropolis, it would be hard to find a more typical California town. It was later determined that Turnupseed was speeding at around 85 mph before impact. IMHO, From the looks of the crash photos, the (5 yr. old) Ford looks to be a total Major body/frame damage. GREAT NEWS! "The last 10 years he didn't do thatmuch," Nelson said. Turnupseed kept a low profile after the accident. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Don't even get me started on cellphones being used while driving. Turnupseed died of cancer in 1995. According to Barris, during those years 1956 to 1960, a mysterious series of accidents, not all of them car crashes, occurred involving the car resulting in serious injuries to spectators and even a truck drivers death. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Kustomrama is an encyclopedia dedicated to preserve, share and protect traditional hot rod and custom car history from all over the world. As you drive west on the last mile to the crash site and look off to your left and you can still see whats left of the original two-lane road. 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. Baldwin |am quite prepared not only to retract it, but also\ / bal@panix.com|to deny under oath that I ever made it. Interesting that Turnupseed did all his own cutomizing, paint work, etc. Estimated speed of deans car. James Byron Dead was 24 when he crashed his Porsche 550 Spyder almost head-on with another car driven by Donald Turnupseed, 30 miles east of Paso Robles. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. ", Turnupseed's family declined to be interviewed for this story. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. It didnt slow Dean down one bit. On advise from la California Highway Patrol officer, Turnupseedhitch-hiked to Tulare after the crash. This evidence consists of where> the cars came to rest, and the level of damage they sustained in the> collision. Despite reports of Deans speed being around 85 mph, Corp. Nelson estimated that the actual speed was around 55 mph, based on the wreckage and position of Deans body. CA Pink Slip) listing the engine number, is still in the possession of the family of the late Dr. Eschrich. What did witnesses say about the accident? Please try again later. It even made an appearance at Indianapolis Raceway Park during the NHRA Drag Racing Championship tracks grand opening in 1960. Did you enjoy this article? Highway officials report that 42 deaths occurred on the road during the 45 years after James Deans passing. He was the driver of the 1950 Ford Tudor that collided with a 1956 Porsche Spyder driven by the famed actor James Dean on September 30, 1955. The accident probably caused Turnupseed to be more private still, Paggi said. It may take a week or two to get . From 1957 to 1959, the exhibit toured the country in various custom car shows, movie theatres, bowling alleys, and highway safety displays throughout California. James Dean and Donald Turnupseed, the man whose car killed Dean, meet again for the first time . -from the Tulare Advanced Register, July 13/14, 1995. I secretly(*) hope they will have a wreck, but just not involve me! We have set your language to James Dean and his Porsche Spyder. Next Week-PART II of Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Curse of James Dean. . His dad was a very, very tough-mindedperson. The accident killed James Dean and changed the world forever. 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. . Don witnessed the tragic crash alongside his brother-in-law, and said: "James Dean was sitting on the left side facing us, on the passenger side" but . His mother died of a broken heart shortly after the accident. Try again later. He is survived by his wife, Mollie Turnupseed, Tulare; two sons, Davidand Donald Bruce Turnupseed, both of Tulare; one stepson, Rick Bradley,Coalinga; one daughter, Peggy Henson, Fresno; and five grandchildren. Dean's "significantly damaged" 1955 Porsche. With theaid of his late parents, Harley and Ruth Turnupseed, the Portervillenative built an electrical contracting business with commercial clientsacross the San Joaquin Valley and the central coast. The tragic crash came only nine days after Dean traded in a Porsche Super Speedster for the more . There are other unconfirmed stories of Little Bastards post-accident life. Paggi said. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. "It was never establishedwhose fault it was. I drove that intersection and left turn many times as I made the trip from Paso Robles to Fresno to see a girl friend. . The 48-year old company which employs andaverage of 75 workers, has branch offices in Bakersfield and Fresno andannual sales of about $15 million. He did not stop and plowed into the passenger side of Turnipseed's car. Turnupseed was only slightly injured with facial bruises and a bloodied nose. Hoosier James Dean died in an automobile accident on a desolate stretch of highway in Cholame, California nearly 65 years ago, yet he remains ever present in the collective memory of fans born well after his death. The group gathered for coffee and donuts at the Hollywood Ranch Market on Vine Street before leaving around 1:15 p.m. Before the CHP officers arrived, Dean had been pulled from the Spyders mangled cockpit, his left foot having been crushed between the clutch and brake pedal. Deans posse that day consisted of Porsche mechanic Rolf Wtherich, Warner Bros. Studios stuntman and close friend Bill Hickman and photographer Sanford H. Roth who was shooting photos for an upcoming story of Dean at the races for Colliers magazine. Dean died in a car crash nearly 65 years ago (September 30, 1955) but he remains a fixture on the pop culture landscape as the gold standard of cool. At 5:45 PM on September 30, 1955, 24-year-old actor James Dean is killed in Cholame, California, when the Porsche he is driving hits a Ford Tudor sedan at an intersection. It was later determined that Donald Turnupseed was at fault, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, but no one was held responsible for the collision. Jack Elsom For Mailonline Turnupseed received a gashed forehead and bruised nose and was not cited by police for the accident. Although the legendary car has disappeared, Historic Auto Attractions in Roscoe, Illinois, claims to have an original piece of Deans Spyder on display. 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. When the train arrived in Los Angeles, Barris said he signed the manifest and verified that the seal was intactbut the boxcar was empty. The impact sent Turnupseed's heavy Ford sliding 39 feet down the highway, but the Spyder, a much lighter car, was propelled into the air. The man behind the wheel of the car that killed James Dean. . Donald Turnupseed, the driver of the other car, suffered only relatively minor injuries: Dean didn't have time to stop, and there was no room for evasive action. They stopped at a nearby Mobil station on Ventura Blvd. However, as the wrecked chassis had no remaining integral strength, a rebuild proved to be a Herculean task, even for a wizard like Barris. We won't post to any of your accounts without asking first. There are interior shots of the wreckage of Dean's car, and one snap reveals the 'Little B*****d' sticker on the bonnet and his racing number, '130'. If you pull off to the side of the road, its still possible to walk on part of the crumbling pavement, with weeds sprouting in the middle, and imagine that little silver Porsche speeding past. His father became an alcoholic and died a few years later. The skid marks suggested that, as Turnupseeds Ford crossed over the center line, Dean tried to avoid the impact by steering the Spyder in a side stepping racing maneuver, but it was too late and the two cars collided almost head-on. As I remember the Highway 41/46 junction, > Turnipseed had the right of way on Highway 41 with Dean approaching > eastbound on Highway 46 controlled by an arterial stop sign. Dean and Wtherich weren't as lucky as Turnupseed. But James Dean, America's rebel without a cause, would suffer fatal injuries, including a near decapitation. #jamesdean #rebelwithoutacause #caraccident. As they approached the intersection, an unsuspecting student, Donald Turnupseed, drove back home in his Ford Tudor. Terms of Service. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. See post #80 and forward by Trailer Park Playboy (Turnupseed's Grandson). Donald Turnupseed, escaped the accident with only a gashed forehead and bruised nose. Your email address will not be published. Please reset your password. If I had to guess, that sure looks like a 70-80 mph impact. 6, Gone Too Soon! Dean was killed instantly, but Little Bastard would go on to cause considerably more trouble. James Dean received a speeding ticket on Highway 99 about a hour before thiswreck. Your email address will not be published. When people ask me why I do this, I>> say, if James Dean had had his headlights on, he would still be alive>> today.>. But he keptclose ties to the business, Nelson said. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Cars appear and disappear in vaporous waves of prismic light like an optical illusion as light reflects off the road surface. Stop sign or not,though, Turnupseed turned into Dean's lane; there were skid marks toprove it. I do that all the time in light traffic on unpopulated roads. Photos of late actor James Dean's fatal car accident that were to be used in court are going to auction in August and are expected to bring in $20,000. Donald Gene Turnupseed (1932-1995) - Mmorial Find a Grave American Folk Figure. Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Curse of James Dean. Later, the intersection was realigned to make the Highway 46 straight through and at present Highway 41 has a left turn lane directly facing the oncoming Hwy 46 traffic. Some believe that Barris, ever the showman, fabricated that story as a way of keeping the cars mystique alive. I'm takingfor granted that Exponent's record in court cases gives it somecredibility here, but you're right -- these are not facts. Turnupseed developed a fondness for cars while a student at TulareUnion High School in the 1940s when he got a Model A, said Al Paggi,owner of Paggi Electric. Near the end of the war, he moved to California and soon became the largest wool grower in Central California. Turnupseed, who was driving from school in . James Dean received a speeding ticket on Highway 99 about a hour before this wreck. 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. It suffered remarkably little damagetwo melted tires and some singed paintand fortunately the fire didnt spread to other vehicles in storage. Four days after the crash, Rebel Without a Cause was released. At the end of THE GREEN BERETS, the sun sets into the ocean, which is east of Vietnam, the setting of the film. Ironically, in this film, we see Dean go from a young man to an old man on screen. I refer you once again to the web page I cited. I love cars and I love writing about them The two lanes have remained virtually unchanged since then, while the population of the southern San Joaquin Valley has grown 120% since the crash. He was 63. You'll be able to compare your memory of the highway with how theyre-created it for the simulation.