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Paul Walker's Daughter Sues Porsche

Paul Walker's daughter has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Porsche, alleging that her father would still be alive if the company had installed proper safety features in the car in which he died.

Lawyers for Meadow Walker, 16, claim the Porsche Carrera GT that her father's friend, Roger Rodas, was driving when they crashed, "lacked safety features ... that could have prevented the accident or, at a minimum, allowed Paul Walker to survive the crash," according to the lawsuit obtained by WHO.

Specifically, Meadow's lawyers assert that despite Porsche "knowing that the Carrera GT had a history of instability and control issues," the company "failed to install its electronic stability control system," which they say is "specifically designed to protect against the swerving actions inherent in hyper-sensitive vehicles of this type."

In addition to the alleged lack of proper stability control, Meadow's lawyers claim that a "defective" seat belt design kept Walker trapped in the car. If it wasn't for this design flaw, the lawsuit alleges Walker might have been able to exit the vehicle before it caught on fire.

According to the lawsuit, the seat belt "snapped Walker's torso back with thousands of pounds of force, thereby breaking his ribs and pelvis," trapping him in the car "where he remained alive until the vehicle erupted into flames one minute and twenty seconds later."

Even the fire itself was allegedly caused by faulty "rubber fuel lines," according to the lawsuit, which states that "absent these defects in the Porsche Carrera GT, Paul Walker would be alive today."

Walker was a passenger in the car when his friend, Roger Rodas, lost control of the vehicle in Santa Clarita, Calif. on Nov. 30, 2013. The ensuing accident killed both Rodas and the Fast and Furious actor. Police deemed that the cause of the accident was speeding, citing Rodas speed between 128 and 149 KPH (80 and 93 MPH).

The amount of damages Meadow is seeking is not listed in the lawsuit.

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paul walker daughter meadow walker
paul walker daughter meadow walker

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"It is with great reluctance that Meadow Walker has authorised the filing of this lawsuit on her own behalf and as heir to Paul Walker’s estate," her attorney, Jeff Milam, tells WHO.

"She's a teenage girl who is still dealing with the tragic loss of her father," he adds. "She values her privacy and won't be making any comment. We ask everyone to respect that."

Summarising the case, Milam says, "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."

Michael Miller writes for People.com