Porsche has responded to the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Paul Walker‘s daughter Meadow Walker.
The German car company told CNN that it blamed reckless driving and excessive speeding for the crash that killed the action movie star who launched the Fast & Furious franchise.
Meadow Walker, who is only 16, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Porsche claiming that the 2005 Carrera GT Walker was riding in had specific design flaws that helped contribute to ultimately kill her father.
The lawsuit claims that the Fast & Furious star was not killed on impact after the driver of the vehicle hit a lamp post and two trees but was in fact alive when the sports car caught on fire, according to TMZ.
However, a representative for Porsche told CNN: ‘As we have said before, we are saddened whenever anyone is hurt in a Porsche vehicle, but we believe the authorities’ reports in this case clearly established that this tragic crash resulted from reckless driving and excessive speed.’
Although, Porsche admitted that it has yet to review the lawsuit and would not comment on the specifics relating to the case.
Meanwhile, lawyers representing Meadow Walker claim that the Carrera GT crashed, Walker’s seat belt “snapped Walker’s torso back with thousands of pounds of force, thereby breaking his ribs and pelvis,” the lawsuit continues to claim the actor was trapped in the car when nearly a minute and a half later the Porsche caught fire while he was still alive.
The lawsuit also claims: “Paul Walker breathed soot into his trachea while the Porsche Carrera GT burned.”
While law enforcement at the time calculated the speed to be between 80 and 93 MPH, the lawsuit claims the car was only traveling between 63 to 71 MPH. The lawsuit alleges that Porsche has been aware that their Carrera GT has a history of “instability and control issues,” according to documents obtained by TMZ.
Lawyers for Meadow also claim that Porsche could have easily fixed this issue by installing a stability management system, which is standard for other models made by Porsche.
The lawsuit also claims that the placement of fuel lines in the car also contributed to the fire that erupted and which Meadow Walker’s lawyers claim ultimately killed her father.
Jeff Milam, an attorney representing Meadow Walker, told TMZ, ‘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.’
Paul Walker was killed at the young age of 40 on November 30, 2013 in Valencia, Santa Clarita. Since his death, Meadow Walker has started a charitable foundation in his name. The teenager launched The Paul Walker Foundation earlier this month, on what would have been her father’s 42nd birthday. As the website first went live she paid tribute to her actor father with an impassioned tweet, accompanied by a picture of her with her father as a child. ‘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.’ The foundation will give scholarships to teens who are passionate about the ocean, and will work alongside the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium.
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What do you think of the Paul Walker lawsuit? Did Porsche go too far? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below!