And now his only daughter, Meadow Walker, is suing Porsche, the company that made the auto her father was riding in at the time of his death.
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In addition to the lawsuit it also stated that “The seat belt snapped Walker’s torso back with thousands of pounds of force, thereby breaking his ribs and pelvis, trapping him in the auto where he remained alive until the vehicle erupted into flames one minute and twenty seconds later”.
It also says Porsche knew the Carrera GTs had a “history of instability and control issues”, and should have had a Porsche Stability Management system (PSM), which is standard in other models and prevents swerving.
Executives previously insisted the tragedy was caused by Rodas’ driving after his widow Kristine filed a similar lawsuit against Porsche’s North American bosses a year ago. The lawsuit further alleges a defective seat belt prevented Paul exiting the vehicle, while faulty rubber fuel lines contributed to the flames.
The suit alleges that Porsche “took safety shortcuts while loading the Carrera GT with a 605-horsepower engine capable of up to 205 miles per hour and marketing it as a race auto licensed for the road”.
Porsche in a statement released Tuesday said: “We have not seen the new lawsuit and therefore can not comment on its specifics”.
Porsche has already responded, expressing condolences to the family of Paul Walker but standing by the police report that claimed the crash was caused by Rodas’ “reckless driving and excessive speed”.
“The bottom line is that the Porsche Carrera GT is a risky vehicle”.
Meadow recently launched the Paul Walker Foundation, an NGO that will provide grants for students interested in pursuing marine science, in honour of her father on the day that he would have celebrated his 42 birthday. The auto Paul and Roger were driving, a Carrera GT, careened out of control due to improper stabilization system.
The actor’s body was badly burned “and in a pugilistic stance”.
Walker and Rodas died in November 2013.
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Walker’s death at the age of 40 led to a temporary halt in production of “Fast & Furious 7“, the latest movie in the successful series about illegal street racing that helped popularize his career.
