Paul Walker's Daughter Sues Porsche for Wrongful Death, Company Responds
Porsche claims "reckless driving and excessive speed" caused the actor's death.
— -- Paul Walker's daughter Meadow is suing Porsche alleging negligence, wrongful death and other claims following the 2013 death of her father.
But Porsche said it was "reckless driving" not negligence that caused the "Fast & Furious" actor's death.
Walker died at the age of 40 when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in lost control and crashed into a tree near his charity event in Santa Clarita, California, on Nov. 30, 2013. The car burst into flames after the accident and both Walker and the driver, Roger Rodas, were pronounced dead on the scene.
"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," Meadow Walker's lawyer Jeff Milam told ABC News regarding the suit filed Monday in California Superior Court. The lawsuit does not state the monetary amount in damages being sought by the plaintiff.
A representative for Porsche released a statement to Entertainment Weekly about the lawsuit, saying, "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 resulted from reckless driving and excessive speed."
In the lawsuit, obtained by ABC News, the paperwork cites the car's 605 horsepower engine and top speed of 205 mph, coupled with the car's lack of "safety features that are found on well-designed racing cars or even Porsche's least expensive road cars -- features that could have prevented that accident or, at a minimum, allowed Walker to survive the crash."
The suit also alleges that the car company didn't install an "electronic stability control system, which is specifically designed to protect against the swerving actions inherent in hyper-sensitive vehicles of this type."
Walker was trapped due to the seat belt design, the suit adds, claiming he was alive for a full minute and 20 seconds after the crash, until the car "erupted into flames" and he died.
"Absent these defects in the Porsche Carrera GT, Paul Walker would be alive today," the suit reads.
The lawsuit also claims the car was traveling approximately 63 to 71 mph when it went out of control, not the "approximately 100-plus" miles per hour the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office reported one month after Walker's death.
According to a case report included in the December 2013 coroner's report, the car "struck a sidewalk, and the driver's side of the vehicle struck a tree and then a light post. The force of those collisions caused the vehicle to spin 180 degrees." The deputy medical examiner's conclusion was that the actor died from the "combined effects of traumatic and thermal injuries."
Porsche Cars North America did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit by ABC News and by the AP.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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