Paul Walker's daughter hits Porsche with wrongful death lawsuit
Paul Walker's teen daughter Meadow has hit bosses at Porsche with a wrongful death lawsuit following his fatal crash in one of their cars in November, 2013.
The Fast & Furious star was the passenger in a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT driven by his friend Roger Rodas, when it slammed into a light pole and burst into flames, killing him and Walker.
And now nearly two years after his passing, 16-year-old Meadow and
her lawyers are taking legal action against executives at the car
giant, claiming faulty mechanics are to blame for his death, since
an official autopsy declared he was not killed by the impact of the
crash alone, but burned to death once the car exploded.
In legal documents obtained by TMZ.com, attorneys claim the actor's
seat belt "snapped Walker's torso back with thousands of pounds of
force, thereby breaking his ribs and pelvis" and subsequently
trapping him in the passenger seat.
They go on to claim the fire did not break out until one minute and
20 seconds after impact, but Walker could not escape, alleging,
"Paul Walker breathed soot into his trachea while the Porsche
Carrera GT burned."
In addition to claims of defective fuel lines and side door
reinforcements, Meadow's lawyers also state in the suit that the
the car had "a history of instability and control issues".
They are also contesting law enforcement records that suggest Rodas
was driving as fast as 93 miles per hour when he lost control of
the vehicle.
Meadow's lawyer claims, "The bottom line is that the Porsche
Carrera GT is a dangerous car. It doesn’t belong on the street. And
we shouldn’t be without Paul Walker or his friend, Roger
Rodas."
Last year (14), Rodas' widow Kristine filed a similar lawsuit
against Porsche's North American bosses, alleging negligence and
wrongful death. A judge dismissed many of the plaintiff's claims in
February (15), but ruled that Porsche bosses still had to face
allegations suggesting the car was defectively designed.
In their response, the company's attorneys wrote, "Roger Rodas's
death, and all other injuries or damages claimed, were the result
of Roger Rodas's own comparative fault... (He) chose to conduct
himself in a manner so as to expose himself and others to such
perils, dangers and risks."