The father of actor Paul Walker is also filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Porsche, almost exactly two years after his son was killed in a fiery Carrera GT crash in California.
USA Today reports that Walker’s father, Paul William Walker III, filed the lawsuit on Wednesday. He joins the deceased actor’s daughter Meadow Walker in filing a wrongful death claim against the automaker.
The newspaper says the senior Walker’s lawsuit claims the supercar “lacked safety features that could have saved the actor’s life.” His lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
Walker was killed in November 2013 when the Carrera GT he was riding in, driven at high speeds by friend Roger Rodas, spun out of control and crashed, catching fire. Rodas was also killed in the wreck. His widow also has pending claims against Porsche in state and federal court.
The 605 horsepower Carrera GT was famous for its razor’s edge, uncompromising nature. Owing to its extreme appeal, the car lacked stability control unlike most Porsches, one of the factors the Walker and Rodas families now blame for the crash. Other “defects,” they claim, include lack of a crash cage, a failure in the car’s suspension, and a lack of safety features in the gas tank.
But Porsche has contended in these cases that this Carrera GT was “altered” and improperly maintained, including having dangerously outdated tires. And authorities have blamed dangerous, high-speed driving on a public road as well. The elder Walker’s claim echoes Meadow Walker’s statements about speed, saying the crash occurred between between 63 and 71 mph, but investigators said the car was going more than 90 mph.
Photo credit AP
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