In sleepy 1955 that desolate intersection might see ONE car every 20-minutes. The odds of TWO cars meeting at that intersection at the SAME time back then is pretty astronomical. When it's your TIME, it's your TIME.
Deans car ended up where the opening scene 00:04, green James Dean memorial junction sign is. Fence was later moved for the transition rd construction and many have that all mixed up from looking at the pictures.
The accident location happened at the 0:51 point in this video. The white car would’ve been where James Deans car was struck and his car ended up right where that James Dean Memorial Junction sign is at the 2:45 point in this video. That is the spot where James Dean died. Right where that sign is.
The junction was only recently modified to a 90-degree left turn. Prior to around 2010, the junction remained identical as it was in 1955. Only after a TV special was aired that CalTrans tweaked the turn lanes.....
Sorry but there was no I-5 at that time .... Dean was coming in on hwy 466 the intersection that Dean died at is actually out in the field just north east of where your roads intersect ... IF you go over the barb wire fence out into that field you can find old pavement from the old roads .... The accident was in no way Deans fault, Donald Turnupseed, who lived 40 years after the crash should have been charged with Manslaughter for turning in front of Dean. There was plenty of light with the sun setting behind Turnupseed to see Deans car for 1/2 mile down the road ahead. .... Deans last stop prior to the accident was Blackwells at the intersection of 466 & 33 ... now 46 & 33 ... Blackwells is still there ...
Roger, Thanks for your comments. I know it is difficult today to find the exact resting place of Dean's car. But I think this video gives the Dean fans alittle better idea of what the site looks like. Dean was traveling west, driving down a long grade of several miles, desolate wide open spaces, so I imagine it was easy to be really rolling by the time he reached the intersection.Dean's car was silver in color and probably its low profile, just blended in with the asphalt type pavement.
Well I've compared old photos taken high above with new sattelite images and to me there's no question the two roads, 46 and 41 are in the exact alignment as they've always been. The thing you are correct about is they did make some minor alignment adjustments to the road's intersection, making the 1955 left turn onto 41 more of an angled turn, less of a sweep and paving out the shoulders more. But essentially the roads are where they were.
The original road was indeed a bit south further east but it seems that it merged in closer and was basically in alignment with today's intersection. If you're east of the intersection, the original road surface is still visible in places, running parallel until it disappears.
Deans car ended up where the green sign is. Time index 00:04. The fence was later moved for the transition rd construction and people judging the location by looking at pix don't take that into consideration and get it wrong. The old pavement dates back to before the accident. Car Customizer George Barris was the last to have possession of the car.
Yea go by there a lot. And always think of james dean when i do---in fact just little to th south of here is where a very good friend of mine got killed in another wreck that was not his fault----so many people get killed in wrecks----guess we need to outlaw cars just like they want to do with our guns
Wuetherich [the passenger] said they had stopped at Blackwell’s corner for a soft drink and an apple while coming over 466 from Bakersfield. He said they stopped for approximately 15 minutes. According to the coroner’s inquest this fixed the speed of Dean’s car at 85 to 86 miles per hour
Was just at this intersection going home from Morro Bay and it is in fact a weird and dangerous intersection. There honestly needs to be lights here, it’s a divide between the north and the south. South going to the Bakersfield area and North going to the Fresno area.
If Dean had been driving at the proper 55mph the accident wouldn't have happened. It was definitely Dean's fault for speeding and driving too fast for conditions.
A 2005 article on the crash in the LA Times stated that a hwy patrolman on the scene determined that Dean was going 55 when he hit the car...not sure if that's true, or not. No matter how fast he was going, the other driver shoulda seen Dean on such an open and desolate road. According to Dean's mechanic who was riding w/ him at the time, Dean's last words were, "He's got to see us."
its just happened like 0:20 where the white caris turning left which should wait like that before turning and see if there is any car is coming from the opposite direction..
Thanks for the panorama of the site. I'm wondering if Dean was aware that a fork in the road existed. You can't see it coming from the South. The only way would have been a map or a traffic sign if it existed. The sign looks very close to where his car ended up.
@@davidb2206 I read that he participated in the race once before and came in third. I suspect with his new car he would do better. I don't know if he drove it the first time. It's a long drive so he might have forgotten about that intersection. And then there's the possibility he was in the passenger seat at that time. Just a thought.
Speeding tickets really are harbingers. I take them as seriously, as if I'm being given a 2nd chance. After tou get one, shut it down, go home, and don't drive for the rwat of the
Sixty Four Years Ago tonight, Nice Video. That Left Turn is pretty much the same: Turnupseed would of been turning as that Silver Pick-Up at 0:51, look how close to The White Car he gets while turning...
Actually 46 was moved so the spot where it happened would have been right about where the light post is at on HWY 41 The old HWY 46 can be seen just to the left of the screen. You can still see part of the old HWY 46 but it's now an old dirt road for the farmers. RIP JD
When the accident happened, the sun was setting. Deans car was silver which blends in with the pavement. That would explain why Turnuoseed didn't see Deans car.
Dean's Porsche 550 Spider is quite small, about the size of a Mazda Miata. Cars that small were rare in those days, and Turnupseed miscalculated the distance between the two vehicles, and turned into Deans path.
The main road has the rigth of way, but most accidents happen at intersections, because of misjudgment of when it's safe to turn, I guess even a car going the same direction as dean could of pulled out into lane not knowing what rate of speed Mr dean was approaching at, but there would have been a greater chance of dean swerving out from making contact, but head on it's the momentum that no matter which way you steer it's more abruptly causing wheels to loose traction of road.
the white car coming the same way that James Dean came. . passing the split street and here comes a truck turning left and not slowing down or stopping. . almost another crash again. . this highway needs to done much correctly. . and put a street light Not a flashing light. .●¿●
I grew up in Fairmont In. Went to the high school there and didn't know who dean was till they showed us East of Eden. Never seen his grave till I revisited. Now it;s a tourist trap.
James deans car was so small and much lower than the other vehicle it could of blend in with the highway it must have been very hard not to see the 550 till it was too late they both were driving at the speed limit . at time most drove bigger cars one would not expect a little car driving down towards another.. you know it being silver you would think it would reflect from the sun but unfortunately the sunrise was probably in a different angle at the time maybe if it did reflect and the other driver had seen that James Dean could have lived his life.. such a young man growing up in popularity was taken to early. .RIP DEAN "+" your soul lives on...
Just so I am clear: James Dean was traveling westbound on 46 and Mr. Turnupseed was going eastbound then turned left onto 41? Or did Turnupseed turn left off 41 to get onto 46? Thanks if anyone can clarify.
This was such a tragic loss that could had been easily avoided. Had Dean not been driving like he was in a race or Had California not created this insane junction in the first place Dean would have had a much longer life. That junction needs a full traffic light with warning signs starting at 1/8 a mile away of how deadly that turn is. The other driver should have been charged with vehicular manslaughter no matter how small Deans car was or how well it blended with the road he would have been able to see Deans car He jumped in front of Dean. Cali needs to square up that junction and make it a forced red light.
Or had they just towed the near-invisible-colored car on the trailer following them and broken the race car in on the track, for which it was intended, instead of the open road with other cars that were the huge size that they were in those days. People weren’t used to seeing those tiny cars on the road at that time.
Deans Car was tiny, with a low profile, and it is fairly obvious, that he would have been travelling at high speed. The driver of the other vehicle, I presume, completely misjudged the speed of Deans Porche, and presumed he had time to make his move, because he looked to be, far enough away. On a British TV talk show , Actor Alec Guinness, recalled how he met Dean in a Cafe, just before his death, where Dean told Alec about his new Racing Car, and showed it to him. Alec begged him not to drive it, as he had a premonition, that he would be Killed in it, a week away.
Not at all, lots of room. The hill goes up similarly the other direction. Janes Dean thought he could make it, as did Turnupseed, they were both wrong.
Last day Rüzgar Çetin, Turkey's most famous director's son. He didn't die but with his Porsche killed one cop, badly wounded another I bet for years he'll be in jail worse than being dead when you're that rich during young age in a cage. Porsche has terrible curse.
James Dean in 1955 - Porsche spyder 550 - he wa stopped for speeding in a 55 mph limit, he was been Followed by a 1955 Ford County Squire Station wagon pulling a trailer ! Also just watched TH-cam video - James Dean's Spyder...Found? SEE 22 seconds says Serial number of his car 550-0055
In sleepy 1955 that desolate intersection might see ONE car every 20-minutes.
The odds of TWO cars meeting at that intersection at the SAME time back then is pretty astronomical.
When it's your TIME, it's your TIME.
Well said....
It's pretty mad to think of the odds of it happening...destiny...
Everybody has a final destination
And that's exactly what annoys me about dean's death, what a coincidence for the cars to meet at the same time.
Actually I have heard that it still pretty busy, but I get your point
That still looks like a dangerous intersection, 60 years later. I know today was the day he died, that's why I'm on here in tribute to him.
it seems like a very dangerous intersection even now after so many years. .
why dangerous!!! you see the car from a mile
Thanks for the footage sir, very interesting and what a barren, lonely place to die.
He wasnt drt
Deans car ended up where the opening scene 00:04, green James Dean memorial junction sign is. Fence was later moved for the transition rd construction and many have that all mixed up from looking at the pictures.
You're right
The accident location happened at the 0:51 point in this video. The white car would’ve been where James Deans car was struck and his car ended up right where that James Dean Memorial Junction sign is at the 2:45 point in this video. That is the spot where James Dean died. Right where that sign is.
Thanks for doing this. Great vantage point and commentary.
I wonder how many accidents and deaths have happened over the years at that scary looking intersection? I bet quite a few.
The junction was only recently modified to a 90-degree left turn. Prior to around 2010, the junction remained identical as it was in 1955. Only after a TV special was aired that CalTrans tweaked the turn lanes.....
That junction looks ultra dangerous even now!
Sorry but there was no I-5 at that time .... Dean was coming in on hwy 466 the intersection that Dean died at is actually out in the field just north east of where your roads intersect ... IF you go over the barb wire fence out into that field you can find old pavement from the old roads ....
The accident was in no way Deans fault, Donald Turnupseed, who lived 40 years after the crash should have been charged with Manslaughter for turning in front of Dean.
There was plenty of light with the sun setting behind Turnupseed to see Deans car for 1/2 mile down the road ahead. ....
Deans last stop prior to the accident was Blackwells at the intersection of 466 & 33 ... now 46 & 33 ... Blackwells is still there ...
Roger, Thanks for your comments. I know it is difficult today to find the exact resting place of Dean's car. But I think this video gives the Dean fans alittle better idea of what the site looks like. Dean was traveling west, driving down a long grade of several miles, desolate wide open spaces, so I imagine it was easy to be really rolling by the time he reached the intersection.Dean's car was silver in color and probably its low profile, just blended in with the asphalt type pavement.
Well I've compared old photos taken high above with new sattelite images and to me there's no question the two roads, 46 and 41 are in the exact alignment as they've always been. The thing you are correct about is they did make some minor alignment adjustments to the road's intersection, making the 1955 left turn onto 41 more of an angled turn, less of a sweep and paving out the shoulders more. But essentially the roads are where they were.
The original road was indeed a bit south further east but it seems that it merged in closer and was basically in alignment with today's intersection. If you're east of the intersection, the original road surface is still visible in places, running parallel until it disappears.
Deans car ended up where the green sign is.
Time index 00:04.
The fence was later moved for the transition rd construction and people judging the location by looking at pix don't take that into consideration and get it wrong.
The old pavement dates back to before the accident.
Car Customizer George Barris was the last to have possession of the car.
Yea go by there a lot. And always think of james dean when i do---in fact just little to th south of here is where a very good friend of mine got killed in another wreck that was not his fault----so many people get killed in wrecks----guess we need to outlaw cars just like they want to do with our guns
Thanks for making this clear. I pass through there before many times. I assume James Dean was heading west and going to Salinas.
He was driving west on 46 heading to California 101, then north to Salinas.
Wuetherich [the passenger] said they had stopped at Blackwell’s corner for a soft drink and an apple while coming over 466 from Bakersfield. He said they stopped for approximately 15 minutes. According to the coroner’s inquest this fixed the speed of Dean’s car at 85 to 86 miles per hour
I never knew that was the spot until 1 week ago. I've passed a dozen times or more from 2013 -2014 and not to mention 1987.
This stretch of road is known by the locals as "Blood Alley." Sadly Dean's death was just one of many on Hwys 46 and 41.
Was just at this intersection going home from Morro Bay and it is in fact a weird and dangerous intersection. There honestly needs to be lights here, it’s a divide between the north and the south. South going to the Bakersfield area and North going to the Fresno area.
Time of day (5:45 PM) must have been a big factor at that time, besides the rate of speed both were going. R.I.P Jimmy.
well its not deans fault, its the other cars whos gonna turn should be put to blame..
If Dean had been driving at the proper 55mph the accident wouldn't have happened. It was definitely Dean's fault for speeding and driving too fast for conditions.
A 2005 article on the crash in the LA Times stated that a hwy patrolman on the scene determined that Dean was going 55 when he hit the car...not sure if that's true, or not. No matter how fast he was going, the other driver shoulda seen Dean on such an open and desolate road. According to Dean's mechanic who was riding w/ him at the time, Dean's last words were, "He's got to see us."
Even if it wasn't his fault, dead is still dead. Sadly, it doesn't matter.
@tinwoods It was a foggy day, as well.
its just happened like 0:20 where the white caris turning left which should wait like that before turning and see if there is any car is coming from the opposite direction..
crash happened on 0:31
thanks for shareing. poor Jimmy Dean
Thanks for the panorama of the site. I'm wondering if Dean was aware that a fork in the road existed. You can't see it coming from the South. The only way would have been a map or a traffic sign if it existed. The sign looks very close to where his car ended up.
Had he been on that route before to Salinas?
@@davidb2206 I read that he participated in the race once before and came in third. I suspect with his new car he would do better. I don't know if he drove it the first time. It's a long drive so he might have forgotten about that intersection. And then there's the possibility he was in the passenger seat at that time. Just a thought.
Speeding tickets really are harbingers. I take them as seriously, as if I'm being given a 2nd chance. After tou get one, shut it down, go home, and don't drive for the rwat of the
Sixty Four Years Ago tonight, Nice Video. That Left Turn is pretty much the same: Turnupseed would of been turning as that Silver Pick-Up at 0:51, look how close to The White Car he gets while turning...
That is the exact way James Dean died to
Thank you for sharing this, inquiring minds want to know!
that car he was driving was so low profile it would be hard to see
Actually 46 was moved so the spot where it happened would have been right about where the light post is at on HWY 41 The old HWY 46 can be seen just to the left of the screen. You can still see part of the old HWY 46 but it's now an old dirt road for the farmers.
RIP JD
When the accident happened, the sun was setting. Deans car was silver which blends in with the pavement. That would explain why Turnuoseed didn't see Deans car.
Jetthead18 maybe
Dean's Porsche 550 Spider is quite small, about the size of a Mazda Miata. Cars that small were rare in those days, and Turnupseed miscalculated the distance between the two vehicles, and turned into Deans path.
The main road has the rigth of way, but most accidents happen at intersections, because of misjudgment of when it's safe to turn, I guess even a car going the same direction as dean could of pulled out into lane not knowing what rate of speed Mr dean was approaching at, but there would have been a greater chance of dean swerving out from making contact, but head on it's the momentum that no matter which way you steer it's more abruptly causing wheels to loose traction of road.
I thought that too! His car was so small and silver
the white car coming the same way that James Dean came. . passing the split street and here comes a truck turning left and not slowing down or stopping. . almost another crash again. .
this highway needs to done much correctly. .
and put a street light Not a flashing light. .●¿●
I grew up in Fairmont In. Went to the high school there and didn't know who dean was till they showed us East of Eden. Never seen his grave till I revisited. Now it;s a tourist trap.
James deans car was so small and much lower than the other vehicle it could of blend in with the highway
it must have been very hard not to see the 550 till it was too late they both were driving at the speed limit .
at time most drove bigger cars
one would not expect a little car driving down towards another.. you know it being silver you would think it would reflect from the sun but unfortunately the sunrise was probably in a different angle at the time maybe if it did reflect and the other driver had seen that James Dean could have lived his life..
such a young man growing up in popularity was taken to early.
.RIP DEAN "+" your soul lives on...
Just so I am clear: James Dean was traveling westbound on 46 and Mr. Turnupseed was going eastbound then turned left onto 41? Or did Turnupseed turn left off 41 to get onto 46? Thanks if anyone can clarify.
So did James Dean's car plow into the car turning? Or, did the car turn and hit James Dean?
I don't think it happened in that yield, cause they say he was up against a barb wire fence.?
The intersection has changed since 1955.
This was such a tragic loss that could had been easily avoided. Had Dean not been driving like he was in a race or Had California not created this insane junction in the first place Dean would have had a much longer life. That junction needs a full traffic light with warning signs starting at 1/8 a mile away of how deadly that turn is. The other driver should have been charged with vehicular manslaughter no matter how small Deans car was or how well it blended with the road he would have been able to see Deans car He jumped in front of Dean. Cali needs to square up that junction and make it a forced red light.
Or had they just towed the near-invisible-colored car on the trailer following them and broken the race car in on the track, for which it was intended, instead of the open road with other cars that were the huge size that they were in those days. People weren’t used to seeing those tiny cars on the road at that time.
the road has been changed from the original site..the site would be in the field.
Sure can't see it on Google Satelite views
Still looks dangerous
If u want to see it in google maps, paste it,in to google search: 35.7343545,-120.2847874 than try street view ;)
ok
Deans Car was tiny, with a low profile, and it is fairly obvious, that he would have been travelling at high speed. The driver of the other vehicle, I presume, completely misjudged the speed of Deans Porche, and presumed he had time to make his move, because he looked to be, far enough away. On a British TV talk show , Actor Alec Guinness, recalled how he met Dean in a Cafe, just before his death, where Dean told Alec about his new Racing Car, and showed it to him. Alec begged him not to drive it, as he had a premonition, that he would be Killed in it, a week away.
I’ve taken that route home before, and took a side tour to see it.
Not at all, lots of room. The hill goes up similarly the other direction. Janes Dean thought he could make it, as did Turnupseed, they were both wrong.
this accident is what caused man to develop the yield sign.
Wrong: www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/yield-sign-invented-by-tulsa-police-captain-in-1950s#:~:text=The%20yield%20sign%20was%20invented%20by%20a%20Tulsa%20Police%20captain%20in%201950.&text=Drivers%20in%201950%20were%20confused,idea%20of%20a%20yield%20sign.
Sounds like an airport
it would have been amazing if you'd caught a replay at 0:50 ! 🤣
Cars need brake lights on the front.
not enough detail lighting distracted driving
At least we have James Deen, porno God.
Wow...that's busy
Poorly designed intersection that is still poorly designed even with the changes.
Still looks pretty hairy. I'll bet there's been dozens of similar accidents there since JD's.
yet james dean now paul walker.... Who's next?
Last day Rüzgar Çetin, Turkey's most famous director's son. He didn't die but with his Porsche killed one cop, badly wounded another I bet for years he'll be in jail worse than being dead when you're that rich during young age in a cage. Porsche has terrible curse.
Ali Aslan woah, Porsche has a terrible curse? Well, carrera gt was my dream car
+Porsche Carrera GT I prefer Renault Scenic actually I prefer a truck first but it's not suitable for daily use :D
Ali Aslan yep
Porsche Carrera GT Ryan Dunn in 2011 died from drinking and driving in his Porsche 911 gt3 I think it was.
good video
pretty sure he speeded like an animal
👍🇩🇿
Ah, CA route 46 (old route 466) runs north/south and NOT east/west so, this guy doesn't know what he's talking about!
Bo Hector.....All even numbered highways and interstates run east-west. All odd numbered run north-south. CA 46 (466) runs east west.
James Dean in 1955 - Porsche spyder 550 - he wa stopped for speeding in a 55 mph limit, he was been Followed by a 1955 Ford County Squire Station wagon pulling a trailer ! Also just watched TH-cam video - James Dean's Spyder...Found?
SEE 22 seconds says Serial number of his car 550-0055
Still looks dangerous