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. Copyright 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. 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. CA Pink Slip) listing the engine number, is still in the possession of the family of the late Dr. Eschrich. Donald Turnupseed was driving the opposite direction as James. Business was his hobby. According to Lee Raskin, a Porsche historian who has researched Dean's Spyder, even though Dean had previously raced his Speedster locally and had quickly become known to the Southern California sports car . If I had to guess, that sure looks like a 70-80 mph impact. Make sure that the file is a photo. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. what happened to donald turnupseed carBy, May 20, 2021 . I remember the night when Dad> reported the news at home. Thesimulation contains the stop sign; you can see it. As the two cars converged on to the junction, the Ford veered over the centerline to turn left. Dean tried to swerve, but collided almost head on with Turnupseed's 1950 Ford Tudor. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. The sun is setting behind Jack and Rose as the ship is sailing WEST. The Spyder struck the Ford. As they approached the intersection, an unsuspecting student, Donald Turnupseed, drove back home in his Ford Tudor. The racers road went directly to Blackwells Corner at U.S. Route 466 (later SR 46). 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? Terms of Service. at the very same intersection where the accident occurred. After Dr. Eschrich striped the car of its engine and any other salvageable racing components, he evidently sold the Spyders mangled chassis to Barris. Donald Turnupseed, a college student, was making his way towards Fresno with no intention of making headlines . This account has been disabled. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. The car was smashed up when Donald crashed with James Dean in his Porsche. Some believe that Barris, ever the showman, fabricated that story as a way of keeping the cars mystique alive. Look at this 2004 Turbo Cabriolet, and at the Porsche 550 Spyder that actor James Dean was driving in 1955 when his life ended, and a legend began, after crashing into Donald Turnupseed's Ford. Donald Turnupseed spent his entire life refusing to talk about James Dean. More by Drew Dorian, Your email address will not be published. He won a race for novices at Palm Springs, Calif. driving his No. from Paso Robles to Fresno to see a girl friend. He did not stop and plowed into the passenger side of Turnipseed's car. I do that all the time in light traffic on unpopulated roads. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. He remains the symbol of teenage angst to millions of young people whose grandparents were more familiar with him than them. Dean and Wtherich weren't as lucky as Turnupseed. Although he has refused interviews for decades, Turnupseed did speakwith the Tulare Advance Register hours after the crash. Hickman and Roth arrived at the scene approximately ten minutes after the crash. Two Friendly Ghosts: Directed by Parker Ellerman. I should not have too tell anyone,that this was on the radio n all the news papers,plus some TV news,when it happened. The driver of the other car, 23-year-old California Polytechnic State University student Donald Turnupseed, was dazed but mostly uninjured; Dean's passenger, German Porsche . Dean was driving directly into> the sun. I saw the TV special and it appeared to use the present highway alignment. Donald Gene Turnupseed 1932 - 1995 . 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. "You could never get close to Don," he said. Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Ryan, Dec 20, 2021. Family members linked to this person will appear here. It seems like iremember something about him getting arrested for flying in drugs in a small plane? In September 2015, The Hollywood Reporter noted that visitors to the crash site leave an assortment of tributes, including pictures, alcohol and womens underwear. 0 cemeteries found in Tulare, Tulare County, California, USA. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Dean spotted an oncoming black-and-white 1950 Ford Custom coupe heading east on Rt. A copy is posted here in Woodland at Chubby's Diner with other Deanmemorabilia. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. 'Our father was the attorney for Donald Turnupseed. 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. 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. The accident killed James Dean and changed the world forever. This impact and the accompanying crash resulted in Dean suffering a broken neck . At>least Buddy Holly's pilot died in the crash! Turnupseed made a left turn in front of Dean's car as Dean was approaching an intersection. Wtherich, who had been in the passenger seat, was thrown from the Spyder, where he lay barely conscious on the shoulder of the road beside the wrecked vehicle. Turnupseed was only mildly hurt, but Dean and Wtherich suffered serious injuries in the low-slung roadster. Required fields are marked *. Black-and-white images of the acting heartthrob's mangled Porsche 550 Spyder recently resurfaced in a Boston auction house to be sold. On Mon, 11 Mar 2019 12:16:20 -0700 (PDT). It was Barris who also stenciled the name Little Bastard on the back of the car. And some strange thing came over me. I read that the insurance investigators, CHP. Biography . Details of James Deans last hours on earth have been well documented but are worth revisiting. Hickman assisted in extricating Dean from the wreckage. Dean had been given the crude nickname by stunt driver Bill Hickman and the star decided to call his Porsche the same name. When the crash occurred, Rolf Wtherich was ejected out of the Porsche as it spun in the air. 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. The accident probably caused Turnupseed to be more private still, Paggi said. The cause of the fire is unknown. 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. According to the postmortem report, it is believed that Dean's head impacted with the front grill of the other car. The driver of that car was a college student by the name of Donald Turnupseed and he was only injured in the crash. WhileMr Turnupseed walked away from the wreckage with only a bloodied nose and bruising, Dean suffered a broken neck and died shortly after being rushed to hospital. It was a very, very odd, spooky experience. 'These never-before-seen images offering an intensely unique perspective of the crash location and the resulting carnage - many of the photos taken only hours after the accident.'. , updated 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 . A few of those stories can be corroborated. ' Dean laughed. As the best I remember at the Highway 41/46 split Turnipseed had the right of way and Dean had an arterial stop sign. Who was Donald Turnupseed? His dad was a very, very tough-mindedperson. As Reventlow and Kessler were leaving, they all agreed to meet for dinner that night in Paso Robles. 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. 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. Guinness, exhausted after a long flight from Copenhagen, was having dinner with Thelma Moss, an actress and screenwriter. A system error has occurred. The police report concluded that Dean was at fault for the accident. At 5:45 PM on September 30, 1955, Donald Turnupseed was headed east on Route 466 in his 1950 Ford. (jalopyjournal.com), (You must log in or sign up to reply here. The collection of 30 photographs have now emerged for sale $20,000 with RR Auctions of Boston. Donald G. Turnupseed was the driver of the car that collided with Dean's, not Harold Turnupseed. The accident killed James Dean and changed the world forever. Enlisting stuntman Bill Hickman to help out, the original plan was to tow Little Bastard to the races, but Wtherich felt it would be better for Dean to get used to the Spyder and run the engine in. One of the men mentioned, He had a closed-casket funeral to conceal his severe injuries from his hometown friends and family. These men had been underclassmen at Fairmount high school and relayed stories of encounters with Dean from their school days. See Paris Jackson's Transformation Over the Years, It's Over! (FA is now known as Exponent, Inc., hence the domain name.). His mother died of a broken heart shortly after the accident. Dean was killed instantly, but Little Bastard would go on to cause considerably more trouble. Search above to list available cemeteries. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Turnupseed's car was struck by a speeding silver grey PorscheSpyder driven by Dean, who at 24 was the star of three major films. Kustomrama is an encyclopedia dedicated to preserve, share and protect traditional hot rod and custom car history from all over the world. Turnupseeds life was forever changed by the accident. ____ in a ____ zone? 90 Day Fiance's Hamza's Green Card Status 'Battle' Amid Memphis Divorce, '90 Day Fiance' Star Memphis Smith Alleges Hamza Moknii Was 'Abusive', 90 Day's Hamza Requested Paternity Test for Daughter Amid Memphis Split, Are Teen Mom' Alum Ryan Edwards and Mackenzie Still Together? How did Donald Turnupseeds life change after the accident? At approximately 5:15 p.m., Deans party hit the road, driving west on Route 466 toward Paso Robles, approximately 60 miles away. At the same time, Donald Turnupseed, a 23-year-old Navy veteran and Cal Poly student, was headed east on Route 466 just west of the junction of highways 46 and 41. Please try again later. 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. No one was injured. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Privacy Policy. Barris claimed that the deathcar mysteriously disappeared in 1960 while returning from a traffic safety exhibit in Florida in a sealed railroad boxcar. She had a stroke while driving down a winding mountain pass, with her daughter Stephanie and drove off the road. James Deans death cemented his reputation as a rebel and an icon of the 1950s. This bypass became known as the racers road, a popular short-cut for sports car drivers going to Salinas. Stop sign or not,though, Turnupseed turned into Dean's lane; there were skid marks toprove it. Answer (1 of 2): It would appear that the accident investigation came to no conclusion as to blame, in part possibly due to Dean's speed at the time, the small profile of Dean's car, and questionable light conditions. 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. It was a>> light gray color, and the time of the accident was dusk.