Porsche sued in Paul Walker fatal accident

 Posted on October 09, 2015 in Wrongful Death

California residents know that breaking the rules of the road, such as by speeding or driving while under the influence, can have very serious consequences. Most people would assume that a driver who does so and then ends up in an accident is responsible for the ensuing damages. However, there have been cases where it has been found that a motor vehicle defect may have been a contributory factor as well.

This is the situation in the case of the late actor Paul Walker, whose daughter recently filed a lawsuit against Porsche for wrongful death. Walker was riding in a 2004 Porsche GT Carrera, which has been described as practically a race car on the street. He died when the vehicle crashed into a lamppost and subsequently burst into flames. The official police investigation report concluded that the driver of the vehicle had been going at about 94 miles per hour when it crashed. However, according to the lawsuit, the vehicle was actually going between 63 and 71 miles per hour.

The lawsuit claims that the automaker is responsible because it failed to make this car safe enough to protect its riders from car accidents by not installing a stabilization sensor system, which it has installed in many of its other vehicles. Additionally, the suit also states that the actor was trapped in the burning vehicle due to a defective seat belt system.

The driver of the vehicle, who was a friend of Walker, died in the crash as well. As the initial police investigation report indicated that the driver's actions may have been the cause, Walker's daughter has opted to sue the manufacturer. Family members of a person who is killed in such an accident may want to meet with an attorney to discuss who should be named as defendants should the decision be made to file a wrongful death lawsuit.