“Jackass” star Ryan Dunn dies in drunk driving car crash
New Jersey fans of the hit MTV reality show “Jackass” were shocked to hear about the death of one of its stars, Ryan Dunn. The 34-year-old actor started in several MTV shows and the three full-length “Jackass” movies. Dunn and a 30-year-old passenger died in a drunk driving car accident in rural Pennsylvania.
Reports of the car accident indicated that the MTV star had a blood alcohol content of 0.196 percent at the time of the crash, which is over twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent. Authorities say that Dunn’s Porsche was traveling over 130 mph when it left the road and crashed into a tree. Dunn and his passenger died of blunt force trauma and the ensuing fire.
Dunn was known for performing outrageous and dangerous stunts on his television shows. Dunn also exhibited dangerous behavior off-screen and had amassed several tickets for drunk driving and speeding in the past.
“They cheated death a lot,” a fan said of the show’s stars. “You have to stop pushing your limits and realize death is a possibility.”
The passenger in Dunn’s car was listed as a production assistant in the second “Jackass” movie. The production assistant was a 30-year-old Iraq veteran and recently married. Dunn and his passenger died in one of the most violent crashes that local authorities have seen.
“I’ve never seen a car destroyed in an automobile accident the way this car was, even before it caught on fire,” a local police chief said. “The automobile actually came apart. It was unbelievable and I’ve been on a lot of fatal accident scenes. This was by far the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Hopefully this daredevil’s death will encourage New Jersey fans of the show to avoid drunk driving.
Source: MTV News, “‘Jackass’ Star Ryan Dunn Was Intoxicated When He Died,” Jocelyn Vena, 6/22/11
