The toxicology results are in for Ryan Dunn, the Jackass castmember who died in a high speed car crash early Sunday morning. His passenger, a friend who was drinking with him at the bar until closing, was also killed. Dunn, 34, had a blood alcohol level of nearly .2, which is twice the legal limit in Pennsylvania where he died. Police estimate that he was driving from between 132-140 miles per hour in his Porsche 911 before he lost control.
Jackass star Ryan Dunn was drunk when he crashed his Porsche on a Pennsylvania highway while going as fast as 140 mph, according to police.
Dunn, 34, died along with his friend Zachary Hartwell, 30, from West Chester, Pa. Both men suffered “blunt and thermal trauma” in the crash, which turned Dunn’s car into a fireball, according to the autopsy report.
Dunn was driving at twice the legal limit, with authorities saying toxicology results put his blood alcohol concentration at 0.196 percent, while the legal state limit is 0.08.
Before the crash, the two men had been in a bar in West Chester; Dunn had Tweeted a photo of them drinking.
“The initial crash reconstruction investigation determined that Mr. Dunn’s vehicle was traveling between 132-140 mph at the time of the collision,” West Goshen Police Chief Michael Carroll said in a statement.
[From People]
There’s local news video of Bam Margera at the crash site where his best friend Ryan died, and it’s really heartbreaking. He seems to have had a premonition that something happened to Ryan, because he explains that he was in Arizona and started freaking out around the same time that Ryan passed, punching out the windows and ripping out the stereo even though he didn’t know about the accident yet and had no reason to be angry about anything.
Bam’s mom told the local press that she was always warning Ryan to drive slower, and his friends said the same. In the audio commentary for season 5 of their reality show Viva La Bam, Bam, his mom April and his friend Tim talk about what a bad driver Ryan was and how he was always driving too fast and getting in accidents. (You can hear their discussion on this video.) They said back then that Ryan would probably die in a car accident, and sadly he did. I’m not going to get into whether it’s ok to use this as a teachable moment when it just happened and people are mourning. I feel like if this was my friend I would be angry and upset if people brought it up so soon, and if a friend of mine was killed by a drunk driver I would be angry and upset if it wasn’t brought up or was somehow glossed over because the person died. It’s just sad and such a waste.
“I’m not going to get whether it’s ok to use this as a teachable moment when it just happened and people are mourning. I feel like if this was my friend I would be angry and upset if people brought it up so soon, and if a friend of mine was killed by a drunk driver I would be angry and upset if it wasn’t brought up or was somehow glossed over because the person died. It’s just sad and such a waste.”
All of this, I agree with. Very well said.. so many people should use this kind of reasoning when talking about Ryan Dunn’s death.
Well it is a teachable moment. And in a case where there are intoxicated people who everyday get in a car and endanger not only their own lives but more tragically the lives of other innocent bystanders people should speak out. I don’t want to be judgmental but for the Jackass fans that are likely to party its important to take this as a lesson, especially to younger ones and partyers who look up to people like these guys. Maybe next weekend some drunk A-hole will stop and think before they get into a car and kill someone.
It’s a teachable moment. It really is. It’s an opportunity for everyone to appreciate life evenmore. It’s a chance for heavy drinkers to stop drinking and get a therapy.
If only one person decide to stop drinking and riding a vehicle because of it, then it’s worth using that tragedy as a teaching moment.
I agree… It makes me sad and angry. RIP both of them and I hope their families and friends can heal from all this.
Only word that comes to mind: jackass
I agree with Kaboom. He was a major jackass to his poor family. Now they suffer his loss. RIP.
“Bam’s mom told the local press that she was always warning Ryan to drive slower, and his friends said the same.”
This was NOT an accident, this was an inevitability – if you play Russian Roulette enough times, eventually you’re going to die.
Apologies, but I have zero sympathy for those who kill themselves drinking and driving.
It sounds like this guy was much loved by those who knew him. Makes it all the more infuriating the way he went.
My sympathies to this guy’s family and friends and the friends and family of his passenger. But I have ZERO sympathy for drunk drivers. All I can say is I’m glad he took himself out before he hurt or killed an innocent bystander.
Gee, he was drunk. Well who didn’t see that one coming.
If drunks want to end their lives, that is fine with me, but when they put others at risk, who are innocent bystanders, I have a real problem with it.
I may sound callous, and I do not wish a horrible death like that on anyone, but I am not sympathetic over his death. To his family, yes, to him, no. He made the decision to drink, speed and drive. He was not forced. This could have been prevented, unlike a disease that catches someone by surprise.
He was arrogant and selfish, and it cost him his life. Hopefully others will pay attention to this given the nature of his fame, and realize no one is invincible, and accidents like this can be prevented.
screw him. we’re just lucky that he didnt kill anyone else. you drink and drive? chances are you are going to die or kill someone. he did both. its not RIP but Rot in Hell as far i am concerned.
these sorts of stories make me so angry,
i almost lost my life thanks to a drunk driver, i couldn’t walk for 6 months and 10 years later i still have massive back trauma.
i don’t feel sympathy, i wish i could, but the fact is if you continually drink and drive you are going to die, and you may take innocent lives along with you.
i second the jackass comments
The lesson here….. beards are bad. No one looks better with a beard. The sole exception to that rule is Lemmy.
RIP
I am quite ashamed to say that even though I never drank & drove, when I was much younger I used to get in the cars of friends who drove drunk. We were idiots and didn’t care about our own lives. What changed it for me, was being made to watch a program, not about the people who die in accidents, but about those innocent ones who get hit by drunk drivers AND SURVIVE. I think anyone who ever had an DUI or reckless driving offence should be made to watch one of these programs, where survivors who have been left paralysed, in wheelchairs, covered in burns, and generally had their lives ruined like that speak about it. I guarantee you, it will make you think twice before you do it, way more than just hearing about a death reported.
All I can say is thank goodness it was at 3 am and there was no one else on the road.
I read elsewhere he had all kinds tickets and points for reckless driving and such – why did he even still have a license?
@ lucy2
Even without a license, he still might have driven there. I saw the comment from Bam’s mother that they were always telling him to slow down. Maybe they should have told him to stop driving drunk. Then two people would be alive today.
From what I read he had 23 driving infractions in 12 years, one of them being a DUI.
I second what one of the other posters said. I feel sympathy for his family. None for him. He was old enough to know better, but unfortunately for him and his passenger, not smart enough. Drunk AND extremely excessive rate of speed? Yeah, jackass.
lucy2, not trying to be a bitch, but not having a license isn’t going to stop someone like that.
“I may sound callous, and I do not wish a horrible death like that on anyone, but I am not sympathetic over his death. To his family, yes, to him, no. He made the decision to drink, speed and drive. He was not forced. This could have been prevented, unlike a disease that catches someone by surprise.”
you don’t sound callous. I think that’s how a LOT of people feel.
it sucks for everyone involved, and it could have been prevented. Sad all around.
Agreed this is the definition of a teachable moment.
And I would like also to comment on this:
“he was in Arizona and started freaking out around the same time that Ryan passed, punching out the windows and ripping out the stereo even though he didn’t know about the accident yet and had no reason to be angry about anything.”
I call BS. I’m guessing this A-hole has temper tantrums on the regular and justified his latest in this manner. I wonder whose property he destroyed? Jackass indeed. This type of behavior is completely unacceptable and he talks about his actions as though they are normal.
he died happy. enjoying things he really like when he was alive – drinking and driving fast… let him rest in peace.
Being drunk and stupid at the same time are a bad mix.
I feel sadly for Dunn’s family and friends. It’s devastating to lose someone that you love in such a senseless manner and at such a young age. Regardless of how and why Ryan Dunn died, my heart goes out to his family. Blame does not have a place in grief.
However, this is a teachable moment, IF there is anyone left on this planet who somehow does not know that getting drunk then driving at 130 mph is a bad idea. I find that hard to believe, though. This is a lesson, then, in invincibility. I dont care who you are…reckless and stupid behavior will kill you. Nobody, no matter how rich or poor, is invincible.
That video with Bam is really sad, I feel for him. But it’s sickening that ppl are going there to collect pieces of the accident to put on ebay. Wrong and illegal
Booze + speeding = bad news. It’s sad. But Bam is still an a$$hole.
Munchies- I am really confused by your comment. “He died happy, doing the things he liked best, drinking and driving fast” I am wondering how you would feel if someone, enjoying those things, killed your friend in the passenger seat or killed an innocent family traveling on the road. So as long as people die doing what they love, then it makes what they were doing okay?
I don’t know, I do not agree with a comment like that. Maybe it is just me.
The only good that could come out of this mess is to use it as a teachable moment.
I think it’s ridiculous that it’s supposed to be disrespectful to the loved ones of Ryan Dunn — who should’ve encouraged him to seek treatment for alcoholism, given this was not his first DUI — to state the obvious: Drinking and driving is NEVER okay. Nor is reckless speeding.
No..it’s not just you.
That was a really stupid comment that person made.
@Munchies, What? Hugh Hefner will die happy when he dies of old age as a succession of 20 year old blondes hop on & off his shriveled dong. Ryan Dunn & Zachary Hartwell died in a fucking fireball wreck that was 100% avoidable.
RIP to Ryan & Zach!
Prayer for their families & friends.
Drinking & driving (wreckless or not) don’t mix people! 🙁
Munchies, I wonder if the dude in the passenger seat died happy of blunt force and THERMAL trauma. They freaking burnt to death alive. I worked in a trauma center for 20 years. That is a comment I can’t fathom.
Okay, there’s our post-mortem evidence. I’m satisfied.
Fool. Worse still, he killed his friend. The friend was drunk too, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he was in on the “joy ride”.
I have an 11 year old son and I’m already preaching the “don’t get in a car with someone who is drunk” rule. I think he has the wisdom not to drive drunk himself (trust me, I know my son), so I just subtly roll that in the conversation, too.
All I keep thinking is how lucky it is that he hit a tree and not another car. If he had hit another car and killed innocent people, there wouldn’t be any sympathy for him at all. Drunk driving is selfish and they paid the ultimate price. I do feel sorry for their family and friends. They are probably in a lot of pain, compounded by feeling that they should have intervened and told him to stop drinking and driving. Sad for everyone involved, but hopefully some of his fans will think twice about drinking and driving, so some good can come from tragedy.
I just watched the trailer to his new movie ‘living will’ and it is super eerie. He is playing a ghost and he says ‘being dead is the best thing that’s ever happened to me ever.’ It opens with a quote “call no man happy until he is dead.” Creepy. It sort of reminds me of the cases of DJ AM and Britney Murphy and her husband.
@Embee – Agreed Bam or whatever this idiot’s name is is just trying to make the story about him.
somewhere right now Roger Ebert is saying ”TOLD YA!!!”
good that they did not hurt any innocent bystander.
ACTUALLY, we saw Bam Margera the next night in Arizona (the night after the news broke of Ryan’s death). He was out at RA sushi, eating sushi and drinking. And now he is crying on the side of the road at Ryan’s crash site? PUH-LEASE.
a blood alcohol level of nearly .2 and he was driving 120+ miles per hour? asshole.
Totally agree he probably would have driven without a license anyway, I was more wondering why the state hadn’t revoked it at some point with all of those reckless driving tickets.
“He was out at RA sushi, eating sushi and drinking. And now he is crying on the side of the road at Ryan’s crash site? PUH-LEASE.”
@ amanda: hmmm….how interesting. yeah, it seems like bam is trying to make this all about him. after all, his career is kind of over, no?
I don’t know what the laws are in PA, but had Ryan Dunn lived thru this accident, he surely would have been prosecuted for a number of crimes regarding this incident, least of all manslaughter. I think many of us experienced the wrecked car somewhere on school property during prom and/or graduation time to remind us of the dangers of drinking and driving, but I think the still photos of the wreckage of his car would have a lot more impact. This is definitely a teachable moment, too soon or not. Ryan Dunn CHOSE to get behind the wheel of his car after drinking. He CHOSE to have a passenger in his car. He CHOSE to drive that fast, on that occasion and apparently many other times as well. I do feel for his friends and family and empathize for their genuine grief. But this man was not the Dali Lama – he became “famous” for shoving a Matchbox car up his rectum on film. Now he will be “famous” for killing himself AND ANOTHER MAN due to pride, stupidity, and ego.
While um… no one, is shocked to find out he was drunk driving, would we all still be unsympathetic towards Dunn if he hadn’t been drinking, and had just been going 130+mph?
I know I would be. Yeah, you get reckless when you drink, but if Bam’s mom was supposedly allllways telling him to slow down and be careful, and he’s had all these tickets and stuff, he’s a reckless driver when he’s sober, as well. I think it should be a teachable moment about both drinking and driving and going insanely fast.
As an aside, texting while driving is said to be tantamount to driving while drunk. For those of you doing this please google the name Toni Bolis (or search her name on facebook). She was my friend’s pregnant wife and she was hit head on by a kid who was texting and driving. She and her unborn baby boy (1 week away from his due date) died, and their two year old daughter is left without a mother. Distracted driving is very dangerous.
As a former bartender I don’t understand how they let him go home that night without trying to call a taxi. A lot of states have a rule holding a party giver (i.e. parents of teens) or the bar responsible if they know a patron is going to drive drunk. It’s not fun but I’ve wrestled/hidden car keys form a lot of friends.
@fabgrrrl: He did take out an innocent person. His passenger.
OK, it’s a teachable moment. Personally, I do think it’s too soon, especially Roger Ebert calling him a jackass before he was even cold. However, I think a lot of good could come from this if the rest of the guys got together and did a PSA for drunk driving. THEY have suffered as a result, and it’s much more effective than some sanctimonious twit trying to be PC too soon.
(And I’m a recovering alcoholic with zero tolerance for it, and make myself available as a designated driver for anyone who wants one.)
Let’s just be thankfull that he only killed himself and his equally irresponsable friend instead of an innocent pedestrian or some wandering dog
It’s sad all around. I hope his fans learn from this situation. What’s even more sad is that people seem to have no compassion these days.
As much of an idiot as this guy was for drinking and driving, at least no innocent people were hurt (yes, the passenger — wonder what his BAC was — but he chose to ride with Ryan). They both (let’s not forget the passenger) seem to have been truly loved by their families, friends and fans (I don’t follow “Jackass”) and I truly hope this can be a “teachable” moment.
This may break site rules, and sorry if it does, but I cannot help but ask why this could not have been (fill in the blank with your own)?
My condolences to these guys’ families, friends, and fans… Really sad…
What a waste. These guys could have easily called a cab.
He lived hard,and died harder.
This isn’t sad. The guy had a history of drunk driving and driving at highly dangerous speeds. He was a selfish asshole who had to suffer the consequences of his actions, nothing more. Am I really expected to feel bad for a guy who died by driving 140mph with a blood alcohol level at twice the legal limit, and killed another person in the process? I think not. If his family and friends really expect the world to put on their kid gloves for this situation and not call Dunn out for the jackhole he was, they are mistaken.
Roger Ebert was on the money when he tweeted “Friends don’t let jackasses drink and drive.”
‘nuf said.
“punching out the windows and ripping out the stereo even though he didn’t know about the accident yet and had no reason to be angry about anything.”
Um, no. He likely just ran out of blow.
@ WillyNilly – exactly
My thoughts & prayers to the family. And my hopes that the jackass crew will use this tragic, avoidable death to teach their fans drinking & driving dont mix.
Forget prayers. This guy well deserved to die and is now burning in hell. Had he just killed himself, yes hugs and puppies to his family, but he murdered another human being along with himself, and endangered many more lives along the way.
If he had somehow survived this, he’d been charged with multiple crimes, and with his history of DUIs, he’d be charged with felony murder 2.
Think about this. If some bozo got drunk, took out his gun and accidentaly shot someone and then killed himself, would we be saying anything nice about him? Or would we be calling him a despicable murderer the minute his body dropped?
Because that’s what this “Jackass” was– a murderer with history of reckless disregard for the lives of others. Good riddance.
“This was NOT an accident, this was an inevitability – if you play Russian Roulette enough times, eventually you’re going to die.”
Could not agree more. Essentially, this was a murder-suicide.
“And I would like also to comment on this:
“he was in Arizona and started freaking out around the same time that Ryan passed, punching out the windows and ripping out the stereo even though he didn’t know about the accident yet and had no reason to be angry about anything.”
I call BS. I’m guessing this A-hole has temper tantrums on the regular and justified his latest in this manner. I wonder whose property he destroyed? Jackass indeed. This type of behavior is completely unacceptable and he talks about his actions as though they are normal.”
@Embee: why was this psycho’s behavior called “heartbreaking”? He either has testosterone poisoning or is mentally ill. Well – the same thing, really.
May this be a reminder of those who think about drinking and driving. Regardless of the morality of it, he was still a friend and loved one to people.
Thanks for the laughs.
@Munchies: I take great offense to your comment. I’m 30 and have had seven–yes, SEVEN, relatives and/or extremely close friends who were like family killed by drunk drivers who were “doing what they liked best–drinking & driving fast”. One of them was driving to the store to pickup a prescription for his young son, and was hit head-on. He suffered tremendously in a hospital bed hooked up to tubes and needles for three days until he passed. He never laid eyes on his children again.
Go to hel*. It’s sad that he and his passenger died, but let’s not even for a second condone or glorify this behavior.
Now that the toxicology has sealed this, I can’t agree enough with virtually every post so far.
If this isn’t a teachable event, I don’t know what is.
Here in Ontario, any establishment that over-serves is liable for anything that happens to an impaired individual once they leave that bar or restaurant; whether that be getting in a car and killing themselves/someone else or falling and braining themselves on a curb.
Bars here can and have been (successfully) sued, particularly since staff in licensed establishments are normally required to have SmartServe certification.
I don’t care what it takes, get the drunk’s keys. They don’t make a choice to drink and drive, their judgement is non-existent they are not capable of rational thinking, that’s why it’s called ‘impaired.’ Any place that serves is obligated to recognize this and do something to prevent it.
That being said, given his apparent history he was a gigantic fool who didn’t just destroy his own life, he blew apart the lives of those left behind in his family and the family of his passenger.
I feel for those people and I guarantee you that wherever Dunn is now, he’s feeling like shit. That’s his hell.
The whole thing is so damned sad…
I mean, I don’t know. Liability doesn’t get negated because the perpetrator can’t answer to the charges or his behaviour. I don’t know what happened to the driver who slammed into me–he was gone too quickly. I’d like to say I’m evolved enough to say, ‘Frankly, my dear, I’d just kill for some candy apples right now (damned true), but I’m not. I haven’t had a day without pain in years and years and years and I’m not going to bother to lie: I hope something bad happened to him and if it hasn’t yet, I hope it does. Sorry, that’s how I define a teachable moment, since they haven’t got two brain cells to rub together to come to the same conclusion that everyone else did approximately six seconds after crawling out of the soup. I never wish for death, but something that would ‘learn ’em?’ Sure. Maybe someone could enlighten me as to why I was on a hospital bed, not him?
Feel bad about your friend if you like, but do not come at people bloviating about how horrible other people are for not willingly submitting themselves for vandalism and violent death for the edification of none. That may be your dumbass life’s work, but you have to understand that other people might feel a bit more contemplative about the waste and destruction of events like this. Or maybe get a job that involves work promotion less greasy than say, glomming on to someone’s death and sucking all of the publicity out of the corpses before the ambulance has even arrived. That is called disrespect, you shrieking, punching humunkulous, and if none of that registered, I’ll take a page from the Sean Penn Tome of Derision and advise you swamp donkeys to find your way to a campus. Xenu knows it was well-merited advice when she got it. Ugh, I don’t know about people…
It’s now out that the bar served him 8 drinks and then he had three more shots bought by fans. Supposedly letting the bar off the hook.
He was trashed, and was driving at 140mph, was anything good going to happen?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbhh_fcfl_k Check out this link, Bam margera actually on camera predicting his death… scary stuff.
I’m am in no way condoning his behavior or avoidable mistakes that led to his untimely demise, as well as that of his passenger. Drinking drunk is stupid and reckless no matter what. All I can say is from my personal perspective (lost my alcoholic husband 3 years ago this august, albiet not due to drunk driving) there’s nothing anyone can do for a person who a) has no concept of their behavior because they are drunk and therefore forget the imminent consequences and b) refuses to accept they have a problem or to get assistance, be it professional or that of friends. We all were concerned about my husband; he already had 1 DUI infraction but unfortunately was too far gone to accept help. He even began drinking again almost immediately after 1 month’s rehab (not that I expected him to be cured, but he was not inclined to truly want to change). I did everything I could to help but finally had to leave because I was going down with him. Ultimately he made his choice to continue drinking and therefore he rejected the love & support he had from family as
well as his treatment. Sometimes there is nothing anyone can do. If the person refuses to accept their problem and won’t try to fix it they are pretty much fucked. Again, I’m not condoning his choice to drink & drive at excessive speed, but he made his decision. If only others who want to live this fast & crazy lifestyle will consider Ryan’s death as an example of what not to do it’s a positive outcome. I don’t care what anyone says, no one is immune to addictive behavior and should not gloat over this situation. And to be happy that someone is dead, no matter the consequences, is completely inappropriate in my opinion. But you know what they say about opinions. But as an adult who lost a loved one, I can promise you it’s not always black & white. Stupid yes. Avoidable, absolutely. But try not to judge until you’ve been in a similar siutation.
What a stupid idiot! No excuse for driving drunk!
@iheartlasagne: I am so sorry for your loss…I can truly relate. Your post was very heartfelt and insightful, thank-you.
Don’t you think it might be a little bit insensitive to have the shop link attached in articles like this? I’m not sure I’m interested in wearing the same clothes as a dead guy’s girlfriend…..
I don’t care if had friends/family/fans/whatever. Bam Margera needs to STFU!! Ryan is an idiot and COULD HAVE KILLED MANY OTHER PEOPLE!!!! I say good riddance f-ing ahole!
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