Paul Walker Car Accident Investigation Under Way

Santa Clarita, CAInvestigations into the car accident that killed actor Paul Walker, star of “Fast & Furious”, are underway, with the probe now focused on the speed at which the Porch Carrera 2005 GT was traveling.

According to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, speed was a factor in the car crash: a 45 mph speed limit sign was attached to the light pole knocked down by the Porsche.

According to a report by CNN.com the Porche, which sold for $450,000 when new, is a notoriously difficult vehicle to handle, even for professional drivers. According to a report in Autoweek magazine, a top driver called it "scary." The vehicle is powered by a V-10, 610-hp engine.

While rumours circulated that Walker might have been drag racing when the Porche crashed, police have now ruled that out. Instead, car enthusiast Jim Torp, who was at the charity event Walker had attended just prior to the car crash, said he thought he heard a blast in the distance just before the Porche hit the light pole. "What the first explosion was, I don't know if their tire blew up, because it sounded like a tire blew on the car," Torp told CNN.

Police are investigating tire skid marks on the asphalt near the crash site, which indicate a car was doing doughnut spins. However, it has not been concluded that the skid marks are related to the Walker crash. Hercules Street, where the car accident took place, has a reputation for fast drivers, which prompted a police crackdown earlier.

Roger Rodas, who was believed to be driving the Porche at the time of the crash, also died. Hercules Street, a wide business park road, is in the community of Valencia inside the city of Santa Clarita, about 30 miles north of Hollywood, according to Walker's publicist and CNN affiliate KCAL.