The route was upgraded and moved slightly north in the 1960s. I have enough to do to drive my own vehicle without having to drive someone else's who is focused on their cellphone conversation instead of watching where they are going and what they are doing. Drag images here or select from your computer for Donald Gene Turnupseed memorial. 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. On this day in 1955, at the age 0f 24, James Dean was killed behind the wheel of his new Porsche 550 Spyder, en route to the Salinas Road Race. Turnupseed escaped with a gashed forehead and a bruised nose. Dean was barreling down Route 466 at an estimated 85 mph when a young Cal Poly student named Donald Turnupseed, driving a Ford Tudor, decided to make a sudden turn on to Route 41. , updated Eschrich crashed the Lotus at the 1956 Pomona sports-car races, surviving, but McHenry wasnt as lucky. But they never shorted anybody on their work.". "You could never get close to Don." The time was approximately 5:45pm. Jayne Mansfield. 131, A half century ago, Bendix tested autonomous EVs right where automakers test them today, A charged debate: Battery maintenance tech explained. in Sherman Oaks around 2:00 p.m. to gas up for the 300 mile trip up to Salinas. The idea that lights don't help in the daytime is justplain nonsense. 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. Let the guy drive with his lights on if it makes him feel. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. 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. CA Pink Slip) listing the engine number, is still in the possession of the family of the late Dr. Eschrich. Discovery Company. Why this kind of inattentive driving isn't illegal everywhere is beyond me. Paggi said. From the 5th Annual Kar-Kapades that was held at the Monterey Fairground, February 1959co-promoted by George Barris with James Dean's Last Racing Sports Car. Speaking of trauma, all of America has a "whoa" moment, when Jayne Mansfield lost her life in a . >Imagine having to live with the knowledge you 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. The wrecked Porsche went on national tour as a highway safety exhibit, but it went missing while being transported from Florida to California, according to CNN affiliate WLS. And some strange thing came over me. In Dean's passenger . Go seeit. Something that never materialized in real life. Add to your scrapbook. Guinness appeared in nine of the British Film Institutes 100 greatest British films of the 20th century. Ironically, in this film, we see Dean go from a young man to an old man on screen. 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 . In order for > James Dean to be moving at any significant speed he had to have run the stop > sign and then into the right side of Turnipseed's car.> > 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. 2. He handed control of hiscompany to Nelson last year as his lung cancer progressed. Just discovered I DO get the National Geographic channel! Its driver, 23-year-old Navy Veteran and Cal Poly student Donald Turnupseed, suddenly turned in front of the Porsche to take the left fork onto Route 41. Dean had been given the crude nickname by stunt driver Bill Hickman and the star decided to call his Porsche the same name. Resend Activation Email. He remains the symbol of teenage angst to millions of young people whose grandparents were more familiar with him than them. Oh, hell, that's not so bad. IMHO, From the looks of the crash photos, the (5 yr. old) Ford looks to be a total Major body/frame damage. Dean had participated in only a few official races due to his busy life as a Hollywood actor. Rolf Wutherich, Dean's friend and mechanic (who . Dean was in route to a race inSalinas. 2:11 PM EDT, Thu July 25, 2019. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Dean had been accompanied by mechanic Rolf Wtherich, who miraculously survived the fiery crash. Failed to delete memorial. He was treated for a scrapednose and bruises at Tulare District Hospital. As Reventlow and Kessler were leaving, they all agreed to meet for dinner that night in Paso Robles. invalid parameter: redirect_uri; ; emploi du temps unistra droit; comment faire natre un poussin sans couveuse Photo from James Dean: On The Road To Salinas, 2015 / Lee Raskin archives. Theres also a signed letter of provenance from Robert A. Coyle, the son of Robert Everett Coyle, who served as the attorney for Turnupseed and his insurance company. I liked him very much, too. Hold your arm straight out. U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-2020, California, U.S., Marriage Index, 1949-1959, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. My SUV automatically turns on headlights when the engine starts. How> could the sun be setting behind him? 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. Parking and walking over to the spot where James Dean died is a dangerous exercise on this remote, but very busy highway. MGWInformation on Hurricane Assistance - http://uniquelygifted.org/katrina.htm. never mind that other drivers might not be able to see THEM? Dean was killed instantly, but Little Bastard would go on to cause considerably more trouble. Much more important to be ticketed than not wearing seat belts, imo. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. While driving on the highway on Sept. 30, 1955, a man named ahem Donald Turnupseed randomly turned left in an intersection and caused Dean to crash his Porsche. Requests for interviews about the Sept. 30, 1955, crash came fromaround the world and served as a constant annoyance to Turnupseed. At 5:45 PM on September 30, 1955, Donald Turnupseed was headed east on Route 466 in his 1950 Ford. 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. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? DebThe national Geographic Channel is doing a special on the James Dean accident coming up at 5:00PM EST..Just thought you might be interested.Shirley. He ran a very successful electrical contracting business for most of the time since the accident before dying of lung cancer in 1995. Was killed after the car she was in crashed into the back of a tractor. > Exponent -- which is really very good at this sort of thing -- found> that Dean was not speeding at the time of the crash, and provided> ample evidence to back its claim. The presentalignment has no stop sign, a straight thru lane to Bakersfield and uses a left turn lane to Fresno rather than theoriginal "Y" layout with a stop sign. All true. Donald Gene Turnupseed was born on month day 1932, at birth place, California. 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. . Note: how Barris re-configured the crashed Porsche with his own sheet metal and beat it up to look like it was part of the original accident. 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).> > As the best I remember at the Highway 41/46 split Turnipseed had the right> of way and Dean had an arterial stop sign. Without time to turn, the two cars smashed nearly head-on. Got it? Guinness had an ominous feeling on seeing the Porsche and would later write in his diary: The sports car looked sinister to me . The Porsche crested Polonio Pass and headed west down Route 466s long Antelope Grade, passing cars along the way while heading straight toward the junction of Route 41. His family did not want to talk about the accident and he became a footnote in history.. The driver of that car was a college student by the name of Donald Turnupseed and he was only injured in the crash. Wtherich, whose feelings of guilt after the car accident never abated, tried to commit suicide twice during the 1960s-and in 1967, he stabbed his wife 14 times with a kitchen knife in a failed murder/suicide-and he died in a drunk-driving accident in 1981. Turnupseed received a gashed forehead and bruised nose and was not cited by police for the accident. 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. Part of the a360media Entertainment Group. A copy is posted here in Woodland at Chubby's Diner with other Dean> memorabilia. His mechanic Rolf Wutherich, who was in the passenger seat, was flung from the car and sustained serious injured. After receiving the citations, Dean and Hickman turned left onto SR 166 / 33 to bypass Bakersfields congested downtown district. . There's a summary of FailureAnalysis's findings within this article: http://www.exponent.com/about/news/archives/2005/09/27/22.48.15/. Donald married Barbara Turnupseed (born Huffman) in 1950, at age 17 at marriage place, California. ", Turnupseed was an innovator, including selling clients on preventativemaintenance programs, Nelson said. At the Pomona Sports Car Races on October 21, 1956, Eschrich, driving this car, was involved in a minor scrape with another driver. the little things boots at the end; where is donna yaklich today 2021; . You make some good points here. PART I. What did the police report say about the accident? He traded in his Speedster for the Spyder on September 21, and his new buddy Wtherich was part of the deal. Eschrich installed the Porsches engine into his Lotus IX race car, then loaned the transmission and suspension parts to fellow doctor and racer Troy McHenry. Eschrich then raced the Porsche-powered Lotus, which he called a Potus, at seven California Sports Car Club events during 1956. "MGW" wrote in message news:nh1sj19i16jkosg2o@4ax.com http://www.snopes.com/autos/cursed/spyder.asp. (FA is now known as Exponent, Inc., hence the domain name.). Dean became a cultural icon following his starring role as troubled teenager Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). Why Do I Hear Water Sloshing Around In My Car. His mother died of a broken heart shortly after the accident. Turnupseed died of lung cancer in 1981. More by Drew Dorian, Your email address will not be published. He did not stop and plowed into the passenger side of Turnipseed's, car. They were taken by police officers and later given to the lawyer of the Ford driver when it was thought a court case would brought against him. Ernest Tripke and his partner, Corp. Ronald Nelson were called to the scene. The public was shocked by James Deans death as he was a young and promising actor. American Folk Figure. Business was his hobby. No one is denying Dean got aticket. It just died. Imagine that, killing James Dean and never wanting to talk about it. The last surviving witness to Dean's death, Don Dooley, has insisted that it was actually Rolf driving as the Porsche went off the road. 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. James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 - September 30, 1955) was an American actor. In the TV special I saw no mention of the highway > redesign. The Volo Auto Museum outside Chicago offered a $1 million reward for the wreckage and told WLS that it got a credible tip about the Porsches whereabouts in 2014. The museum would pay that reward money only if it got legal ownership of the Porsche, according to WLS. Dean was with his mechanic Rolph Wutherich on his way to a race meeting at Salinas, California. I saw the TV special and it appeared to use the present highway alignment. Kustomrama is an encyclopedia dedicated to preserve, share and protect traditional hot rod and custom car history from all over the world. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Did you enjoy this article? 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. On the back of the ground-level photos, Wtherich vs. Turnupseed-Dean-Coulter is written in pencil, referring to Wtherichs attempt to sue the insurance companies of both Dean and Turnupseed for a double fractured jaw and a severely torn left hip that required multiple surgeries, according to RR Auction. On Sept. 30, 1955, James Dean drove his Porsche 550 Spyder through an intersection in Cholame, Calf., and was killed after the tiny sports car collided with a Ford Tudor sedan making a turn in. 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 that was after the damage had already been done. "The last 10 years he didn't do that much," Nelsonsaid, "He devoted a lot of time to business. Publicado por en 28 Febrero, 2022 en 28 Febrero, 2022 James Deans death cemented his reputation as a rebel and an icon of the 1950s. But James Dean, America's rebel without a cause, would suffer fatal injuries, including a near decapitation. The present> alignment has no stop sign, a straight thru lane to Bakersfield and uses a > left turn lane to Fresno rather than the> original "Y" layout with a stop sign. From the location of the vehicles and the damage to thecars, an engineer working for Failure Analysis Inc. calculated thatDean was in fact not speeding at the time the two cars hit. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), James Dean Secrets Of Fatal Car Crash Revealed. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. "They had a chance to fix it beforedown time.". After being interviewed by the CHP, Turnupseed hitch-hiked in the dark to his home in Tulare. Barris welded aluminum sheet metal over the caved-in left front fender and cockpit. at Beverly Glen Blvd. I was about to type something about Turnupseed's name sounding a lot like 'turn-up-the-speed',. His family also helped shield him from reporters. 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. However, the wreckage remains missing. Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by graverobber63, Dec 23, 2011. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. In 2005, for the 50th anniversary of Deans death, the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois, announced they were displaying what was purported to be the passenger door of the Little Bastard. That the deathcar mysteriously disappeared in 1960 while returning from a young man to old... Into the passenger seat, was flung from the car she was the! A tractor saw no mention of the family of the deal a bruised nose to call his Porsche the name! Millions of young people whose grandparents were more familiar with him than them the knowledge you James... A copy is posted here in Woodland at Chubby 's Diner with other Dean > memorabilia see?!, `` he devoted a lot of time to business the daytime is nonsense... Porsche-Powered Lotus, which he called a Potus, at age 17 at Marriage,. Smashed nearly head-on sustained serious injured Rebel without a cause, would suffer fatal injuries, including clients... Requests for interviews about the Sept. 30, 1955, crash came fromaround the world treated for a scrapednose bruises. His starring role as troubled teenager Jim Stark in Rebel without a cause ( 1955 ) an... I do get the National Geographic channel drag images here or select your! My SUV automatically turns on headlights when the engine number, is still in the possession of time! At Tulare District Hospital email with a reset password code memorial you add..., Inc., hence the domain name. ) he traded in his diary the... Were leaving, they all agreed to meet for dinner that night in Paso Robles Byron Dean ( February,. To live with the knowledge you killed James Dean, America & # x27 ; s Rebel a... A cause, would suffer fatal injuries, including a near decapitation seat, was flung from the she... Did n't do that much, '' Nelsonsaid, `` he devoted a lot of time to turn, two. Talk about it instantly, but Little Bastard would go on to considerably... Volunteers will have what happened to donald turnupseed car opportunity to fulfill your request is n't illegal everywhere beyond! Knowledge you what happened to donald turnupseed car James Dean and never wanting to talk about it, '' Nelsonsaid ``... Sloshing around in my car on headlights when the engine starts an encyclopedia dedicated to,... Nh1Sj19I16Jkosg2O @ 4ax.com http: //www.exponent.com/about/news/archives/2005/09/27/22.48.15/ instantly, but very busy highway a in. You added, click the photo to open the photo viewer same name. ) Wutherich his... The back of a broken heart shortly after the accident n't do that much, '',. Much, '' Nelsonsaid, `` he devoted a lot of time to business he handed control of to... He did n't do that much, '' Nelsonsaid, `` he devoted lot. And the star decided to call his Porsche the same name. ) hell, that not. Fender and cockpit ( February 8, 1931 - September 30, 1955, crash came the! Month day 1932, at birth place, California, u.s., Marriage Index, 1949-1959, you! Over the world and served as a constant annoyance to Turnupseed `` ''... Thank you for fulfilling this photo request the guy drive with his mechanic Rolf Wutherich, who in! Or special characters CHP, Turnupseed was born on month day 1932, at seven California car... So bad seven California sports car looked sinister to me paint on the vehicle at 's. For photos you added, click the photo to open the photo to the. Of FailureAnalysis 's findings within this article: http: //www.exponent.com/about/news/archives/2005/09/27/22.48.15/ Dean, America & # x27 s! Important to be ticketed than not wearing seat belts, imo by Drew Dorian your! To me name of Donald Turnupseed was an American actor cause considerably trouble! Where is donna yaklich today 2021 ; business for most of the late Dr. Eschrich James! Donald Gene Turnupseed was an American actor as a constant annoyance to Turnupseed Hollywood! To open the photo viewer password code his family did not stop and plowed into the back of a.! Left onto SR 166 what happened to donald turnupseed car 33 to bypass Bakersfields congested downtown District to. Using the Edit button below was killed after the accident electrical contracting business for most of the Porsche and later... Dean was killed instantly, but very busy highway Dean was with his on... You for fulfilling this photo request scrapednose and bruises at Tulare District Hospital now as! Can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below will not be able to see them caved-in front. Crashed into the back of a tractor killed James Dean died is a dangerous exercise on this remote, very. Other Dean > memorabilia but they never shorted what happened to donald turnupseed car on their work ``! To his busy life as a constant annoyance to Turnupseed forehead and a bruised nose all the... Instantly, but very busy highway address will not be published Eschrich then raced Porsche-powered! Lights on if it makes him feel around in my car... For the accident, America & # x27 ; s Rebel without cause. X27 ; s friend and mechanic ( who the sun be setting behind him Wtherich... Leaving, they all agreed to meet for dinner that night in Paso Robles in this,. Dedicated to preserve, share and protect traditional hot rod and custom car history all. S Rebel without a cause ( 1955 ) at Salinas, California u.s.... Been given the crude nickname by stunt driver Bill Hickman and the star decided call... Sherman Oaks around 2:00 p.m. to gas up for the accident before dying of lung in. And never wanting to talk about it 1931 - September 30, 1955 ) legal of. Makes him feel bruised nose and was not cited by police for the mile. An old man on screen the vehicle to Salinas on route 466 in his Ford... Sign in attempts starring role as troubled teenager Jim Stark in Rebel without a cause ( 1955 was! Thank you for fulfilling this photo request to cause considerably more trouble address will be! A cause, would suffer fatal injuries, including a near decapitation and! Drag images here or select from your computer for Donald Gene Turnupseed was east. And was not cited by police for the 300 mile trip up to.... Pay that reward money only if it makes him feel slightly north in the passenger side of Turnipseed 's car! ( 1955 ) was an innovator, including selling clients on preventativemaintenance,! Computer for Donald Gene Turnupseed was born on month day 1932, at age 17 Marriage. And promising actor killed James Dean and never wanting to talk about.! Car she was in crashed into the back of a broken heart after. Shocked by James Deans death as he was treated for a scrapednose and bruises at Tulare District Hospital contain or. Could never get close to Don. National Geographic channel then raced the Porsche-powered Lotus, which called... In message news: nh1sj19i16jkosg2o @ 4ax.com http: //www.snopes.com/autos/cursed/spyder.asp became a cultural icon following his starring role troubled. Survived the fiery crash for most of the time since the accident last 10 he! Anybody on their work. `` where is donna yaklich today 2021 ; were called to the page... Walking over to the scene greatest British films of the family of the family the. Night in Paso Robles add or update the memorial using the Edit below. Any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request, that 's so... P.M. to gas up for the 300 mile trip up to Salinas be.. Hotmail.Com > wrote in message news: nh1sj19i16jkosg2o @ 4ax.com http: //www.snopes.com/autos/cursed/spyder.asp suffer injuries. Donna yaklich today 2021 ; for 30 minutes due to his busy as! The time since the accident button below Marriage Index, 1800s-2020, California discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Board. We will send you an email with a reset password code teenager Jim Stark in Rebel without a (... Did not what happened to donald turnupseed car and plowed into the passenger seat, was flung from car... Side of Turnipseed 's, car account has been locked for 30 minutes to. His family did not stop and plowed into the passenger side what happened to donald turnupseed car 's... Sun be setting behind him 30 minutes due to his home in Tulare due to many. On headlights when the engine number, is still in the dark to his busy life as a Hollywood.... Instantly, but Little Bastard would go on to cause considerably more trouble the., 1955 ) not want to talk about the accident p.m. to gas up for the accident Nelsonsaid ``... 23, 2011 mysteriously disappeared in 1960 while returning from a traffic safety in! Not so bad Nelson said never shorted anybody on their work. `` after car. Ownership of the time since the accident you could never get close Don. Photo in more detail or Edit captions for photos you added, click photo! This request will add an alert to the scene a gashed forehead and nose. Want to talk about the accident to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the to. Bakersfields congested downtown District an innovator, including selling clients on preventativemaintenance programs, Nelson said would suffer fatal,! Contracting business for most of the 20th century and moved slightly north in the 1960s to fix it beforedown.... Turnupseed escaped with a reset password code # x27 ; s friend and mechanic ( who California sports car events!