The Fast and Furious star Paul Walker was in the passenger seat of a 2005 Porche Carrera GT when it slammed into trees and a lamp post in California on November 30 2013, killing the actor and the driver, his friend and financial adviser Roger Rodas.
Investigators concluded that Rodas was driving at an unsafe speed, causing it go out of control.
The actor’s 16-year-old daughter, Meadow Walker, however, is alleging in a suit filed Monday that the German automaker knew the Carrera GT had a history of instability but failed to add a control system to correct the problem, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The suit also alleges that the car’s seat belt was installed in such a way that when the vehicle fractured on impact, the shoulder belt was yanked with the rear engine compartment while the seat belt anchor stayed put.
“This snapped Walker’s torso back with thousands of pounds of force, thereby breaking his ribs and pelvis, flattening his seat and trapping him in a supine position, where he remained alive until the vehicle erupted into flames one minute and 20 seconds later,” the suit alleges, according to the Times.
It quoted Meadow Walker’s lawyer, Jeff Millam, as saying she would not be commenting on the suit.
“She’s a teenage girl who is still dealing with the tragic loss of her father,” he said. “The bottom line is that the Porche Carrera GT is a dangerous car. It doesn’t belong on the street.”
Paul Walker gained fame in the street racing action franchise “The Fast and the Furious,” starring in five of six instalments. – AFP