After being interviewed by the CHP, Turnupseed hitch-hiked in the dark to his home in Tulare. His mother died of a broken heart shortly after the accident. 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. Today, the intersection has been widened and theres a left-turn lane to access Highway 41 requiring a stop and a 90-degree turn. Barris welded aluminum sheet metal over the caved-in left front fender and cockpit. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. The accident killed James Dean and changed the world forever. 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 mechanic I liked him very much, too. Unlike his father, Donald Turnupseed was likeable, but not outgoing, Paggi said. Oops, we were unable to send the email. American Folk Figure. At 3:30 p.m., Dean was stopped by California Highway Patrolman O.V. How did James Deans death affect his career? CA Pink Slip) listing the engine number, is still in the possession of the family of the late Dr. Eschrich. (jalopyjournal.com), (You must log in or sign up to reply here. Guinness appeared in nine of the British Film Institutes 100 greatest British films of the 20th century. 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. James Dean Crash site There is a problem with your email/password. Make sure that the file is a photo. In fact, the new recreation of the crash has determined that Dean's body, which took the full force of the impact, was flung into the passenger seat by the other car in the collision. He later switched to cattle and agriculture. While it wasn't technically seen in any movies, actor James Dean's Porsche 550 Spyder (affectionately known as Little Bastard) could be the most iconic, and cursed car Hollywood has ever seen. Turnupseed's car crossed into Dean's lane while making a left turn. Donald Turnupseed emerged virtually unscathed, outside of the emotional damage of Dean's death by his boneheaded move. > Regarding the James Dean crash: My father with the attending physician for> James Dean's mechanic, Rolf Wuertherich. Eschrich crashed the Lotus at the 1956 Pomona sports-car races, surviving, but McHenry wasnt as lucky. Cant get much more California than that now can you? As they left the restaurant, Guinness heard the sound of running, sneakered feet behind them. The accident probably causedTurnupseed to be more private still, Paggi said. He was 63. He hit a tree and was killed in the same race, and so the curse of Little Bastard gained strength. In the TV special I saw no mention of the highway > redesign. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Dean was driving directly into the sun. A witness, John Robert White, reportedly saw the Spyder fly into the air and tumble two or three times in cartwheels before landing in a gully beside the shoulder of the road, northwest of the junction. Around 5:00 p.m., Dean stopped at Blackwells Corner for apples and Coca-Cola and met up briefly with fellow racers Lance Reventlow and Bruce Kessler, who were also on their way to Salinas in Reventlows Mercedes-Benz 300 SL coupe. Guinness, exhausted after a long flight from Copenhagen, was having dinner with Thelma Moss, an actress and screenwriter. Turnupseed was only slightly injured with facial bruises and a bloody nose. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Seems that retrospectively, Deans death, like his life, can easily get lost in the legend. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. We were toured around the community by a couple of older gentlemen who graciously pointed out spots the young actor frequented including the family farm, Deans old high school, a few of the old stores Dean used to frequent, the cemetery and the funeral home where Dean was prepared for burial. Around 5:45 p.m., a black-and-white 1950 Ford Tudor Custom coupe traveling at high speed was headed east on Route 466 just west of the town of Shandon. With him in the car was his Porsche factory-trained mechanic, Rolf Wtherich. The Fresno Bee followed up with a newspaper story exactly two months later, stating that the fire occurred on the night of March 11 and only slight damage occurred to the Spyder without any damage to other cars or property in the garage. James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 - September 30, 1955) was an American actor. "You could never get close to Don," he said. "They had a chance to fix it beforedown time.". The wrecked Spyder was declared a total loss by the insurance company, which paid Deans father, Winton, the fair market value as a settlement. I can't tell you the number of times I've been able to easily see alights-on oncoming car against sun glare. I refer you once again to the web page I cited. There was a problem getting your location. 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? Donald Turnupseed, the Tulare man who quietly built a family business and endeavored to maintain his privacy after being involved in the car accident that killed actor James Dean four. This display is what disappeared supposedly after returning from a Miami show in 1960. Speaking of trauma, all of America has a "whoa" moment, when Jayne Mansfield lost her life in a . The truck driver was mostly unharmed, with just a few superficial cuts and bumps. American Folk Figure. When the case was dropped, he was still in possession of the photographs and being a history buff, made sure they were not destroyed.'. If I had to guess, that sure looks like a 70-80 mph impact. ", Turnupseed was an innovator, including selling clients on preventativemaintenance programs, Nelson said. Privacy Policy. Turnupseed's car was struck by a speeding silver grey PorscheSpyder driven by Dean, who at 24 was the star of three major films. Thx. The business owner wasquiet even before the crash, Paggi said. Wtherich suffered a broken jaw and serious hip and femur injuries, but survived. On Sept. 30, 1955, iconic actor James Dean and a friend were speeding along Route 466 in Cholame, in his sleek, silver 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder when it slammed head-on into a 1950 Ford Tudor coupe driven by 23-year-old college student Donald Turnipseed. At 5:45 PM on this day in 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. Jayne Mansfield. These police photos from the scene of the sickening crash illustrate the devastating impact force which killed one of America's biggest on-screen stars. He won a race for novices at Palm Springs, Calif. driving his No. I always drive with mylights on. One of the towns founders was Robert Edgar Jack. Donald Turnupseed, a college student, was making his way towards Fresno with no intention of making headlines . Like many a Hoosier youth, I too had my James Dean phase. In the wake of Deans death Turnupseed was quickly forgotten. Details of James Deans last hours on earth have been well documented but are worth revisiting. She had a stroke while driving down a winding mountain pass, with her daughter Stephanie and drove off the road. And the fact the ford was partially side swiped adds to that guess. Try again later. He did not stop and plowed into the passenger side of Turnipseed's car. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Year should not be greater than current year. Barris offered $1,000,000 to anyone who could produce the remains of the deathcar, but no one ever came forward to claim the prize. But they don't consider that when someone can't *see* them, they *also* are likely to be part of a serious/fatal accident. Thanks, Shirley! . >Imagine having to live with the knowledge you killed James Dean! Donald Turnupseed continued to live a relatively normal life after the accident. Didn't mean to imply that it would. 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. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. 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. He ran a very successful electrical contracting business for most of the time since the accident before dying of lung cancer in 1995. 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 . Today, the spot where James Dean died is known as Blood Alley due to the number of fatal crashes, mainly head-on collisions, that still occur there among the high volume of commuters, truck drivers, and tourists today. Sign up for the latest automotive news and videosin short, everything for people who love cars. English They stopped at a nearby Mobil station on Ventura Blvd. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Next Week-PART II of Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Curse of James Dean. There are 12 overhead views of the junction of Route 46 and Route 41, where the crash took place, and 18 ground-level photos, half of which show the damaged Porsche, wearing Dean's #130, in close-up detail. After being interviewed by the CHP, Turnupseed hitch-hiked in the dark to his home in Tulare. Although he was involved in the fatal crash, I think it's takingthings a bit far to say he "killed" Jamess Dean. After Dr. Eschrich striped the car of its engine and any other salvageable racing components, he evidently sold the Spyders mangled chassis to Barris. 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. Stop sign or not,though, Turnupseed turned into Dean's lane; there were skid marks toprove it. How did Donald Turnupseeds life change after the accident? 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. "It was never establishedwhose fault it was. The accident had a profound effect on Turnupseeds family. According to the postmortem report, it is believed that Dean's head impacted with the front grill of the other car. 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 H.A.M.B. You are most definitely tripping on that. He then beat on the aluminum panels with a 24 to try to mimic collision damage. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy. Hickman assisted in extricating Dean from the wreckage while Roth took photographs of the crash. Kustomrama is an encyclopedia dedicated to preserve, share and protect traditional hot rod and custom car history from all over the world. Donald Turnupseed, the Tulare man who quietly built a family businessand endeavored to maintain his privacy after being involved in the caraccident that killed actor James Dean four decades ago, has died at age63. Dean was heading west from Bakersfield to join the 101 at Paso Robles. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Dean was traveling at a moderate speed estimated to be around 55-60 mph on this isolated road, with the sun in his eyes. Two Friendly Ghosts: Directed by Parker Ellerman. 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. As Reventlow and Kessler were leaving, they all agreed to meet for dinner that night in Paso Robles. Regardless, the story of the curse has certainly failed to diminish the James Dean legend. Done button to see the photos in the gallery. This account has been disabled. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. As any experienced state trooper will tell you, there is a wide marginof error around that kind of analysis. 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. 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. As he began to turn left through an intersection, Dean, probably unable to stop, slammed into the passenger side of Turnupseed's truck. The impact sent the much-heavier Ford sliding 39 feet down Route 466 in the opposite lane. Your email address will not be published. It was Barris who painted the number 130 on the doors, front hood and rear trunk of Deans Posche Spyder. He was treated for a scrapednose and bruises at Tulare District Hospital. 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. In the TV special I saw no mention of the highway redesign. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. 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. In Touch Weekly is part of the a360media Entertainment Group.Copyright a360media 2023. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? His body was battered, and there were numerous broken bones and cuts. Dean did not>> have his headlights on, so it is likely that Turnipseed never saw him.>> To this day, I always turn on my headlights, even in the middle of the>> day, even when the sun is shining. "The last 10 years he didn't do that much," Nelsonsaid, "He devoted a lot of time to business. Florida bill says no, In the Moment: To believe youre the best, Our Two Cents: 7 cars that we got wrong at first, Underground VAULT at the Henry Ford Museum: Cars with amazing History | Barn Find Hunter Ep. As this year's 40th anniversary of the crash approached, requests forinterviews continued. Photos of Turnupseed's Ford Custom are also included. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. At 5:45 PM on September 30, 1955, Donald Turnupseed was headed east on Route 466 in his 1950 Ford. There are also nine pictures showing the "terrifying aftermath" of the crash, including Dean and Turnupseed's "mangled automobiles," RR Auction says. Jacks land was eventually sold to the William Randolph Hearst Corporation in 1966 and is still a working cattle ranch today. This evidence consists ofwhere the cars came to rest, and the level of damage they sustained inthe collision. 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. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. The road shimmers along this route, making it hard to tell where the road ends and the horizon begins. Turnupseed and Dean's passenger, Rolf Wtherich, were both injured in the accident but survived. Sixteen-year-old Dooley was travelling behind then-23-year-old student Donald Turnupseed when the wreck happened. But, to date, neither of Deans Porsches have been located. In fact Little Bastard had caused upset almost from the moment Dean bought it. A witness reported it doing cartwheels and smashing into the ground several times. Hickman and Roth arrived on scene some ten minutes after the crash. As his star (and income) began to rise, he graduated to the Spyder 550, an ultra-low, rear-engined sports-racer that cost $7000 in the States, the equivalent of two new Cadillacs in 1955. Dean died instantly. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Monday in Tulare Cemetery.Remembrances may be sent to Hospice of Tulare County, 605 W. WillowAve, Visalia, CA 93201. Business was his hobby. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Like James Dean himself, Cholame is frozen in time. Donald G. Turnupseed was the driver of the car that collided with Dean's, not Harold Turnupseed. Dean and Wtherich weren't as lucky as Turnupseed. 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 his remaining allure involves his small town genesis, the curse of his death car and an unexpected connection to the Star Wars franchise. Got it? . https://deadwrite.wordpress.com/tag/donald-turnupseed/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_James_Dean, THE BARRIS STUFF | Page 3 | The H.A.M.B. Try again later. Dean was in route to a race inSalinas. More by Drew Dorian, Your email address will not be published. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Donald Gene Turnupseed I found on Findagrave.com. Imagine Turnupseeds car bearing left and swerving onto your index finger precisely at the same time as Deans car passes the same spot. etc, never came toany conclusion as to who was at fault, and the matter wasdropped. 1, 'Welcome to Plathville' Kim Plath's DUI Case Closed: Fine, More Details, Sister Wives Kody, Robyn Were With a Mystery Blonde: Identity Revealed, Megan Fox and MGK's Relationship Is 'Toxic': 'There Is Concern for Her', Farrah Abraham Slams Mom-Shamers Over Daughter Sophias Piercings. 24-year-old James Dean was killed when his Porsche 550 Spyder collided when 23-year-old college student Donald Turnupseeds 1950 Ford Tudor Custom coupe as it made a left turn at the junction of State Highways 41 and 46. My new vlog YouTube link is in the bio. Mildly customized 1950 Ford owned by Donald Turnupseed. Shortly before 5pm, Dean was traveling east on Route 46 when he collided with a Ford Tudor driven by Donald Turnupseed, who was turning You're disagreeing with Exponent's findings based on something thatdidn't happen at the scene, viz., that Dean had gotten a speedingticket two hours (not one hour) before. Please try again later. These are the only three such snapshots of the wreck in existence. A man named Donald Turnupseed was driving a Ford truck. Miraculously, the driver of the Ford, US Navy veteran Donald Turnupseed emerged with just a few facial bruises and a bloody nose. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. The car landed in a crumpled heap with Dean still inside. You said much the same thing here when we discussed this in 1999. 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. Both Turnupseed and Dean's mechanic Rolf Wutherich were unscathed in the horrific accident. There you will see the lipstick spotted grave marker covered by more kisses than the yard of bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It's a very good idea to get into, especially on a gray day when blue/gray vehicles are very hard to discern. Jack Elsom For Mailonline But James Dean, America's rebel without a cause, would suffer fatal injuries, including a near decapitation. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. It was Barris who created the Batmobile, the Beverly Hillbillies truck, the Munster Koach and Grandpa Munsters Drag-U-La casket car used in the 1960s TV series. 'Red Ruby Da Sleeze' Lyrics, 'Teen Mom' Alum Ryan Edwards Has a Long Criminal History: Timeline, Is Kim Zolciak-Biermann's Mansion in Foreclosure? The accident probably caused Turnupseed to be more private still, Paggi said. The accident killed James Dean and changed the world forever. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. I do that all the time in light traffic on unpopulated roads. 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. The driver, 23-year-old US Navy veteran and Cal Poly student Donald Turnupseed, made a left turn onto Route 41 headed north, toward Fresno. As the two cars converged on to the junction, the Ford veered over the centerline to turn left. I mean, it was awful, but when your name is Donald Turnupseed and you kill a guy as famous as James Dean you'd think you'd take every chance to claim your rightful piece of the myth." Try again later. 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. "Rob Petrie" wrote in message news:y8y%e.5861$oc.@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net> x-no-archive: yes>> "scottla" wrote in message > news:1128163290.@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com >>> I recall reading that the color of Dean's car was a factor. (Unless the production designer for> THE GREEN BERETS was somehow involved.). which has been redone several times in the last 50 years. Donald Turnupseed spent his entire life refusing to talk about James Dean.