‘Fast and Furious’ actor Vin Diesel once saved a family from a burning car
Mark Sinclair, better and more appropriately known as Vin Diesel, rose to prominence in the late 1990s after director Steven Spielberg saw his acting prowess in 1997’s Strays. The celebrated filmmaker reeled Diesel in for his 1998 D-Day blockbuster Saving Private Ryan, which gave him worldwide recognition.
Over the past couple of decades, the California-born actor has appeared in a host of highly successful films, usually cast for his gym-buff stature. The role that has undoubtedly defined Diesel’s career, however, is his portrayal of the petrol-head Dominic Toretto in the Fast and Furious franchise.
The so-called Fast Saga originally ran as a tetralogy between 2001 and 2009 which saw Diesel star alongside late actor Paul Walker. The car-chase-laden action serial has since been reprised for several spin-offs, with Fast X set for arrival in 2023.
In 2013, during production for 2015’s Furious 7, Diesel’s co-star and close friend Walker tragically died in a high-speed car accident in Santa Clarita, California. Travelling in a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT with his friend Roger Rodas, the car struck a lamp-post and two trees at around 90mph. Sadly, both died almost immediately from the impact and burn injuries.
The tragic irony of this incident is akin to another real-life traffic accident that occurred in 2002 following the release of the first Fast and Furious film. On this occasion, Diesel was riding his motorbike through Hollywood when he saw a high-speed car crash.
The actor stopped his bike and channelled the bravery of Toretto as he ran to the twisted wreckage and managed to pull multiple family members from the car just in time before it burst into flames. Thankfully, nobody was seriously harmed in the accident.
Advice will often dissuade people from relying on actors for their portrayed talent or demeanour, but in Vin Diesel’s case, it seems he truly is a man of action handy in a life-threatening emergency.