3 Hauntings Caused by Parts Retrieved from Fatal Accidents
Today Jalopnik reported that a man on Craigslist is trying to sell “haunted” parts collected from the site of Ryan Dunn’s fatal accident. Dunn, a former Jackass star, died last year in a drunk driving crash that also killed a passenger. The force of the impact obliterated Ryan’s Porsche, and morbid fans collected pieces from the accident. The fellow on Craigslist apparently gathered a box full of parts and now wants to sell them for $300. Why? It seems “weird shit” started happening after he brought the box home.
From the ad:
“A week after the accident I went to the accident and scooped up minor parts I saw lying on the ground. The parts are all remotely tiny, and all fit in a shoebox.
I don’t want them anymore because weird shit has happened since I put it under my bed.
I guess it’s because it’s a weird thing to have, but I was a huge Jackass fan and thought it would be a cool something to have.”
The man didn’t offer specifics, but if his story is true (highly questionable) it wouldn’t be the first time parts from a fatal accident have led to a haunting.
The Curse of the Little Bastard
James Dean, the iconic star of Rebel Without a Cause and Giant, also died in a high-speed crash involving a Porsche (pictured above). The actor died on September 30, 1955, and parts of his mangled Porsche 550 Spyder, a.k.a. the “Little Bastard,” made its way to a few of Dean’s friends and former race associates. That’s when “weird shit” started happening.
In 1956, a Dr. Troy McHenry died after losing control in a car race and crashing into a tree. Another driver, Dr. William F. Eschrich, was seriously injured in the same race after his car rolled during a turn. McHenry’s car contained the engine from Little Bastard, while Eschrich’s vehicle had Dean’s former drivetrain.
On another occasion, the Little Bastard was in storage when a mysterious fire broke out and damaged the vehicle. No other cars suffered harm, and the cause of the fire remains unknown.
A man named George Barris displayed the crushed body of Dean’s Porsche, and the mangled vehicle eventually appeared at various car shows and community centers throughout California. Legend has it the car harmed many people during its travels, including a high school student who suffered a broken hip and a truck driver who perished when Little Bastard fell off a transport truck. Most of the stories, however, are impossible to verify.
Wikipedia, Jalopnik
The Ghosts of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401
Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashed in the Florida Everglades on December 29, 1972, killing 101 of the 176 people onboard. EA reportedly salvaged parts of the wrecked aircraft for use on other planes, and that’s when the ghost sightings began. Passengers and crew members reported seeing the ghosts of Flight 401 captain Bob Loft and flight engineer Don Repo on outgoing flights. John G. Fuller’s 1976 book, The Ghost of Flight 401, explores the haunting and inspired a made-for-TV movie by the same name. First-hand accounts of sightings also appeared on the aviation forum Airliner.net (read them here).
Wikipedia
Some say the strange events surrounding the Little Bastard and Flight 401 are nothing but a coincidence. Others aren’t so sure. What do you believe?
Know of a haunted parts tale I missed? Contact me here or email ghostsghoul@gmail.com!