| Birth: | Apr. 18, 1932 | | Death: | Jul. 13, 1995
Tulare
Tulare County
California, USA | 
American Folk Figure. He was the driver of the 1950 Ford Tudor that collided with a 1956 Porsche Spyder driven by the famed actor James Dean on October 30, 1955. 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. There was never an official finding of fault in the crash, however standard driving procedure would indicate that Turnupseed was at fault since he made the left in front of Dean. However Dean's excessive speed (up to 150 MPH) on this isolated road, with the sun in his eyes (the crash happened around sunset time, with Dean driving west and sun sets in the west) are also contributing factors. Turnupseed kept a low profile after the accident. He lived almost 40 years after this accident, and gave only one interview, and that was a day after the accident, and that to his local paper. His family also helped shield him reporters. He ran a very successful electrical contracting business for most of the time since the accident before dying of lung cancer in 1995. (bio by: Steve-Oh)
Search Amazon for Donald Turnupseed | | | Burial:
Tulare Cemetery
Tulare
Tulare County
California, USA
Plot: Section Southeast 2, Grave 582 |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Originally Created by: Steve-Oh
Record added: May 18, 2005
Find A Grave Memorial# 10990655 |
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This was NOT James Dean fault since they have proven he was traveling in the 63-75 mph range and you were just a dumb kid not paying attention. The fact you turned right in front of Dean making a left turn automatically puts you at fault for the accident...(Read more)
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Peter Blood
Added: Jun. 18, 2013 |
I am so sorry you had to bear such a burden. Accident investigators used modern technology to recreate the crash and it proved without a doubt that Dean was speeding and therefore responsible for the accident. It wasn't your fault. May God bless you and g...(Read more)
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Don Tucker
Added: Jun. 6, 2013 |
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Added: Jan. 1, 2013 |
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(3.3 after 63 votes)
