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By Natalie Ilsley
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Update | The daughter of actor Paul Walker, who died after the Porsche sports car he was travelling in crashed, is filing a lawsuit against Porsche, alleging that the car had numerous design flaws that led to her father's death.
According to celebrity website TMZ, which says it has obtained the legal documents, Meadow Rain Walker is suing the company for unspecified damages, alleging that the car lacked the appropriate control system to prevent the crash or at least save the actor's life.
Meadow's lawyers say that Porsche knew the car—a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT—had a "history of instability and control issues," but did nothing to correct them.
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Paul Walker riding was a passenger in the Porsche that was being driven by friend Roger Rodas. Rodas reportedly lost control before it crashed into trees and a power pole, and caught fire in Santa Clarita, north-west of Los Angeles in November 2013. Both men died in the crash.
The lawsuit alleges that the actor was killed by the fire after he became trapped because of the car's seatbelt, and not the impact of the crash itself. The legal documents say the seat belt "snapped Walker's torso back with thousands of pounds of force, thereby breaking his ribs and pelvis," therefore trapping him in the passenger seat. The claim that he was still alive is based on evidence that "Paul Walker breathed soot into his trachea while the Porsche Carrera GT burned."
The lawsuit goes on to allege that Porsche intentionally chose not to install a system—the Porsche Stability Management System (PSM), fitted as standard in other models—in the Carrera GT that could have prevented the vehicle from swerving.
Speaking to TMZ, Meadow's lawyer Jeff Milam said: "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."
In March 2014, Los Angeles County Sheriff's traffic collision experts determined the dangerous speed of the vehicle as the cause of crash. According to the BBC, police found that the car was traveling at a speed of 94 miles per hour at the time of impact in what is a 45 mile-per-hour zone.
The commander of North (County) Patrol Division of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Mike Parker said in a press conference at the time: "Investigators determined the cause of the fatal solo-vehicle collision was unsafe speed for the roadway conditions."
The lawsuit raises other issues with the car, including claims there were deficient side door reinforcements and fuel lines that did not adequately protect the car from erupting in flames.
At the time of Walker's crash, Matthias Müller was the chief executive officer of Porsche, a subsidiary of Volkswagen. He was recently made CEO of Volkswagen after the company became embroiled in a scandal over fixing emissions data from its diesel cars.
Volkswagen admitted to rigging its vehicles during environmental testing in the U.S. in the biggest crisis of its history, and one of the biggest scandals ever to hit the automotive industry, leading previous CEO Martin Winterkorn to step down.
Rodas's widow filed a lawsuit last year, also blaming mechanical failings in the car, but lawyers acting for Porsche said that the crash was the driver's fault.
Frank Wiesmann, Product Experience Manager at Porsche Cars, said to Newsweek in an email: "As we have said before, we are very sad whenever anyone is hurt in a Porsche vehicle, but we believe the authorities' reports in this case clearly establish that this tragic crash results from reckless driving and excessive speed."
Update: This article was updated to include a response from Porsche.
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