Vin Diesel visits Paul Walker crash site

Los Angeles: Vin Diesel has visited the site of the car crash that killed his “Fast & Furious” co-star Paul Walker, thanking mourners for paying their respects to the actor.

Diesel’s remarks on Monday night came at the end of a candlelight vigil for Walker and his friend and fellow fast-car enthusiast Roger Rodas. They died on Saturday when Rodas’ red Porsche smashed into a light pole and tree, then exploded in flames.

Fans have been gathering at the crash site to leave flowers, candles and memorabilia from the action movies.

Diesel thanked the people for “showing that angel up in heaven how much you appreciated him.”

While the neighbourhood where “Fast & Furious” star Paul Walker died in a fiery crash is known to attract street racers, law enforcement officials do not believe the Porsche he and a friend were riding in had been racing another car.

Accident investigators “have received eyewitness statements that the car involved was travelling alone at a high rate of speed,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a written statement Monday. “No eyewitness has contacted the (department) to say there was a second vehicle.”

Walker and his friend and fellow fast-car enthusiast Roger Rodas died Saturday when Rodas’ 2005 Porsche Carrera GT smashed into a light pole and tree, then exploded in flames. The posted limit was 45 mph.

Skid marks are a testament to past antics on the loop. The sheriff’s department, which polices the neighborhood, said Saturday’s wreck was not the first speed-related crash there, but would not reveal specifics.

Meanwhile, investigators are consulting video from security cameras, talking to eyewitnesses and analyzing physical evidence such as on-board computer data from the Porsche.

Officials have not named either person found in the car. The bodies were so badly burned by the fire that engulfed the wreck that dental records will be needed to confirm their identities.

Autopsy results for Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker could be released as early as Tuesday, as medical examiners wait on dental records to identify the actor’s body, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner said on Monday.

“We’re waiting for dental records,” county coroner spokesman Edward Winter said. “The bodies are unidentifiable.” Media reports identified the driver of the red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that crashed into a utility pole and burst into flames as Roger Rodas, 38, a friend of Walker’s who owned Always Evolving, an auto dealership and racing services company in Santa Clarita.

“Evidently both individuals were seen getting into the vehicle minutes before the crash,” Winter said.

Walker and Rodas were both drivers for the Always Evolving racing team.

Neither the coroner’s office nor the sheriff’s department would confirm if Rodas was the driver of the car. Rodas also served as a financial adviser to Walker, the actor’s spokeswoman, Ame Van Iden, said.

Sheriff Deputy Aura Sierra said the investigation into the crash, in which the department earlier said that speed played a role, should take two more days.

Always Evolving posted a Twitter message thanking supporters while they “mourn the loss of our loved ones.” The company could not be reached by phone.

Walker, who played supporting roles in 1998’s Pleasantville and 1999’s Varsity Blues, was in five of the six Fast & Furious films about illegal street racing, heists and organised crime, portraying law enforcement officer Brian O’Conner.

Production of Fast & Furious 7, which began filming in September, has been delayed but will not be scrapped, industry trade publication the Hollywood Reporter said, citing sources.

The publication reported that Comcast Corp-owned/sUniversal Pictures, the big-budget film’s studio, and Fast 7 director James Wan spoke on Sunday about how to continue with the film following Walker’s death.

A representative for Universal was not immediately available to comment on the status of the film, which is to be released on July 11.

The Fast & Furious franchise, which stars Vin Diesel, has grossed more than $2 billion at the global box office since its first film was released in 2001.

Walker stars in the Hurricane Katrina survival drama Hours, which will be released on December 13, and also the crime drama Brick Mansions, which is in post-production and will be released next year.