Walker was 40 years old when he died. He was riding as a passenger in a Porsche Carrera GT that crashed on a California street.
Walker’s daughter Meadow (16) filed the lawsuit. It claims the car lacked safety features that could have allowed Walker to survive the crash. The complaint specifically points to a seat belt configuration that prevented Walker from escaping the vehicle before it caught on fire.
Porsche has claimed the crash occurred due to reckless driving and speeding in a statement. Law enforcement present at the scene of the accident said that Walker’s car was traveling between 80 and 93 MPH at the time of the crash.
The complaint filed by Walker’s daughter alleges that the car was traveling between 63 and 71 MPH.
The lawsuit asserts that several of the car’s components made it dangerous to drive. The seat belt was allegedly flawed. The shoulder anchors “traveled with the rear engine compartment while the seat belt anchors remained with the passenger compartment.”. This broke Walker’s ribs and pelvis. Thus trapping him in a supine position for the 80 seconds before the vehicle burst into flames.
The complaint also alleges that the fire was caused by a design flaw in the car’s rubber fuel lines. They lacked break-free fittings to automatically shut off the flow of fuel in the event of a crash.
Expert witnesses will likely play a key role in determining the outcome of the case if it should go to trial. Automobile crash reconstruction experts may be used to determine the validity of Porsche’s defense that the victims were speeding excessively at the time of the crash. Furthermore, automobile engineer experts can help determine whether certain safety features of the car, such as the seat belts, were up to par with industry standards.
No amount of damages have been specified in the suit. The seventh installment of the Fast 7 Furious franchise, Furious 7, was released in April 2015. Just 1 year and 5 months after Walker’s death. The franchise’s seven movies have collectively grossed nearly four billion dollars worldwide at the box office. An eighth installment of the franchise has been planned to be released in 2017. Meadow Walker is the sole beneficiary of Paul Walker’s estate. It had an estimated value of $25 million at the time of his death.
