James Dean's crash site

Crash Site Location Shandon, California

This is the location where James Dean died in a car accident.

It is situated on California State Route 46, near Shandon, California.

Memorial — The memorial site is located beside the westbound ramp that connects Route 41 and Route 46.
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On September 30, 1955, the 24-year-old actor was fatally injured at this intersection after his Porsche 550 Spyder collided with an oncoming vehicle.

Dean suffered multiple internal injuries and a broken neck. Following the accident, he was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

That Friday afternoon, Dean was speeding west along Route 466 towards Paso Robles, where he planned to stop for dinner before driving to Salinas, California.

Map — The area has seen a significant number of changes. At the time, it was known as US Route 466. In 1964, it was removed from the highway system and incorporated into California State Route 46. Two of the connecting roads did not exist in 1955. Furthermore, the memorial site was pushed back.

Salinas was hosting a series of racing events that weekend, and Dean was scheduled to take part in one of them.

However, as he was approaching this intersection, a motorist driving in the opposite direction cut across his lane to turn left. When the other car, a black 1950 Ford Tudor, crossed into Dean's path, the "Rebel Without a Cause" star quickly realized that he was in imminent danger.

Crash site view — This image illustrates what he would have seen just moments before the crash. He was driving towards this intersection when an oncoming car suddenly moved into his lane to turn left.

Although he attempted to dodge the vehicle, the speed at which he was driving left him with little time to react.

Police reports state that Dean was driving approximately 55 mph (88 km/h) at the time of the impact. The two vehicles collided head-on, sending his Porsche Spyder tumbling across the road until it landed beside a fence at the side of the interstate.

Witnesses said that the car "cartwheeled" as it smashed into the ground multiple times.

The site where the car landed — This Google Street View image shows the general area where the car landed. The original fence no longer exists. The actor's Porsche 550 Spyder is visible in the top left.

In the blink of an eye, one of Hollywood's most promising young actors was dead.

Location

The address and GPS coordinates for the site are as follows:

Address

California State Route 46, Shandon, California, CA 93461, USA

GPS Coordinates

35.734568, -120.284735

35°44'04.44"N 120°17'05.05"W

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Area Information

📍 The site is about 80 miles southwest of Fresno, California. It is situated at the intersection of California State Route 46 and State Route 41, roughly one mile north of the Jack Ranch Cafe.