Raw grief of Jackass star’s best friend: inconsolable Bam Margera as he visits spot where Ryan Dunn died in fiery crash
Autopsy results reveal the crash was so violent it’s impossible to determine if Dunn and passenger died from impact or from the fire that resulted
Photo emerges showing stuntman in high spirits whilst he partied at a bar shortly before crash
Co-star and best friend Bam Margera overcome with emotion as he visits crash scene
Ryan Dunn’s Jackass co-star Bam Margera broke down into floods of tears as he visited the spot where his best friend lost his life in a horror 130mph car smash.
An inconsolable Bam spoke to a local news station and was so distraught he could barely put his loss into words. ‘It was the worst phone call I ever got in my life waking up to that,’ the 31-year-old wept.
Margera, who was in Arizona at the time of the crash, visited the crash scene in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening.
He was visibly overcome with emotion, rocking back and forth in agony at the guardrail that the car crashed through. ‘I’ve never lost anybody that I cared about. It’s my best friend,’ he told local TV station WPXI, weeping.
‘He was the happiest person ever, the smartest guy. He had so much talent, and he had so many things going for him. This is not right, not right.’
Margera stood at the guardrail that Dunn pierced with his Porsche Monday morning with such force that the car slammed through about 40 feet of trees before exploding into flames.
When asked how he’d get through this ordeal, Bam replied: ‘I can’t. I can’t.’
Dunn’s brother, Eric Dunn, said in an emailed statement to the AP that his family was ‘devastated’.
‘We appreciate the support of Ryan’s fans during this time, and we are grateful for your thoughts and prayers,’ he said.
‘Ryan will be greatly missed, but he will forever remain in our hearts.’
Police say the 34-year-old was travelling at around 130mph in a 55mph zone when his Porsche 911 flew off the road at around 2.30am on Monday morning in Pennsylvania, instantly killing him and his passenger, Zachary Hartwell.
West Goshen Police Chief Michael Carroll, who was involved in the accident reconstruction, described it as the worst crash he had ever seen.
Mr Carroll told RadarOnline that the Porsche – which can hit speeds of up to 190mph – was going at a very high speed when it collided with a guardrail, before landing in the woods and catching fire.
He told the website: ‘I’ve never seen a car destroyed in an automobile accident the way this car was even before it caught on fire,’ Carroll said.
‘The automobile actually came apart. It was unbelievable and I’ve been on a lot of fatal accident scenes. This is by far the worse I’ve ever seen.’
Remains of Porsche 911 GT3
A picture has emerged showing Dunn in high spirits whilst he partied at a bar shortly before he crashed. He was there with friends, including Hartwell, and both were reported to be drinking.
It comes as the Chester County Coroner released the autopsy results for both men, which reveal that the crash was so violent that it’s impossible to determine if they died from the impact itself or from the fire that resulted.
The cause of death for both men was stated as blunt force trauma and thermal trauma.
Officials say the toxicology results for both men, which would help determine the role alcohol played in the crash, will be released in four to six weeks.
In the photograph, Dunn is seen smiling and laughing with two female fans at Barnaby’s of America bar.
In good spirits: A new picture shows Jackass star Ryan Dunn in high spirits as he parties at a bar with friends and fans shortly before he crashed his Porsche killing himself and passenger
At the time it was taken, Dunn was enjoying a night out with friends, where sources told TMZ he drank at least three light beers and three shots between the hours of 10.30pm and 2.10am.
At approximately 2.30am Dunn died when his sports car flew off the road on Monday, while he was driving to his home in West Goshen, Pennsylvania.
Since the accident, some have suggested that Dunn may have been over the limit at the time of the accident.
Film critic Roger Ebert went one step further by tweeting a message blaming Dunn’s fatal car crash on drink-driving.
Taking to Twitter soon after the news broke, Ebert, 69, who won a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, tweeted: ‘Friends don’t let jackasses drink and drive.’
A link to a news story about the accident accompanied his comment.
Dunn’s best friend and Jackass co-star Margera retaliated to the comments on the social networking site ahead of visiting the crash scene.
He wrote late on Monday night: ‘I just lost my best friend, I have been crying hysterical for a full day and piece of s**t roger ebert has the gall to put in his 2 cents about a jackass drunk driving and [he is] one, f*** you!”
He added: ‘Millions of people are crying right now, shut your fat f*****g mouth!’
More of Dunn’s loved ones have since rushed to the reality star’s defence, insisting that he was not drunk.
Bam’s mother April Margera says she does not believe Dunn was driving drunk at the time of his death.
Margera, who appeared in her son’s MTV show ‘Viva La Bam’ with Dunn, says he was not the type of person to get behind the wheel while drunk.
‘He is going to be missed by everyone,’ April tearfully told the NBC Today Show.
‘I have yelled at him for lots of things but he was not a big drinker and he was always responsible as far as I know, so I cannot believe he would do that.
‘I am sick because it is a waste, sick because I loved him, sick because he was talented and sick because he is gone.’
Meanwhile the passenger killed in Dunn’s fatal car crash has been identified.
Police have confirmed Zachary Hartwell, 30, perished in a fireball car crash in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Hartwell, from West Chester, Philadelphia, had been with Dunn at Barnaby’s and appeared in one of the last photographs to be taken of the daredevil before the accident.
The two were drinking with a third unidentified male in a Twitter picture, which was posted hours before the accident.
While Hartwell was not a member of the Jackass crew, he is listed as a production assistant on the second Jackass movie.
He is also credited on IMDb as a ‘car stunt driver’ in Bam Margera’s film Minghags.
He was reportedly a recently married Iraq war veteran
Dunn who was famous for his vulgar stunts in the multimillion-dollar TV and movie franchise Jackass, was driving his 2007 Porsche on a highway when it left the road, flipped over a guardrail and crashed into woods before bursting into flames.
Speed may have been a factor in the crash, West Goshen Township police said.
The force of impact shattered the vehicle into several twisted and blackened pieces, leaving the Porsche 911 GT3 unrecognisable except for a door that was thrown from the crash and not incinerated. A 100-foot-long tyre skid marked where the car left the road.
Police said they were able to identify Dunn through his tattoos and hair.
Dunn appeared on MTV shows Jackass and Viva La Bam and the three Jackass big-screen adaptations. He also was the star of his own MTV show, Homewrecker, and hosted Proving Ground on the G4 cable network.
G4 spokesman Dave Welch said Proving Ground, which premiered on June 11 with the second episode due to air today, was being shelved until the network could discuss its future.
Dunn’s long-time friend and fellow Jackass daredevil Johnny Knoxville tweeted last night: ‘Today I lost my brother Ryan Dunn. My heart goes out to his family and his beloved Angie. RIP Ryan, I love you buddy.’
