Meadow Walker, the 16-year-old daughter of "Fast & Furious" actor Paul Walker, is filing a wrongful death lawsuit against luxury car company Porsche.
Th actor was on his way to a charity event for typhoon victims when he met a fatal high-speed car accident in California in November 2013. Walker was seated beside his friend Roger Rodas who was driving a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT. The accident claimed both lives.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported that the vehicle was running 80 to 93 mph when it collided with several trees and a power pole.
"Investigators determined the cause of the fatal solo-vehicle collision was unsafe speed for the roadway conditions," said Mike Parker, commander of the sheriff's department.
The lawsuit claims the car was promoted as a street-legal race ride but lacked a proper stability control system to safeguard its occupants. The car was not built to avoid catching fire following a collision.
In the lawsuit, the legal representatives of Meadow Walker claim that when the car driven by Rodas smashed and broke apart, Paul Walker's seat belt forcefully snapped his torso back. With his pelvis and ribs broken, he was trapped in the passenger seat when the fire erupted a minute and 20 seconds following the impact. The suit alleges, "Paul Walker breathed soot into his trachea while the Porsche Carrera GT burned."
Meadow Walker's lawyers also noted that Porsche was aware that the Carrera GT model had records of control and stability issues. The concern could have been addressed with a Porsche Stability Management System (PSMS), which prevents swerving. Interestingly, the elite car company did not install the PSMS, a feature available for most of their models, in the Carrera GT.
The lawsuit states that without those defects in the vehicle, the actor could have survived the crash.
The wrongful death lawsuit does not indicate a figure on damages.
