Fast and Furious star Paul Walker died in a horrific car crash in 2013 that stunned the world.
Walker was in a Porsche with friend Roger Rodas when they plowed into a tree and a lamppost. The car ignited, burning both occupants beyond recognition.
And that is the subject of the lawsuit, filed by Paul’s 16 year old daughter Meadow, in Los Angeles Superior Court. The suit claims structural defects in the car, including with the seatbelts and improperly designed fuel lines, reports NBC News.
Among the problems with the car, her lawsuit claims, were poorly designed seat belts. When the car broke apart, the shoulder belt anchors “traveled with the rear engine compartment while the seat belt anchors remained with the passenger compartment,”
“This snapped Walker’s torso back with thousands of pounds of force, thereby breaking his ribs and pelvis, flattening his seat and trapping him.”
There, the lawsuit claims, he remained alive and “in a supine position” until the vehicle burst into flames 80 seconds later.
The fire, the suit adds, was caused by another design flaw — “rubber fuel lines that lacked break-free fittings to automatically” shut off the flow of fuel.
“Absent these defects in the Porsche Carrera GT, Paul Walker would be alive today,” the suit says.
Police investigations have revealed that Walker was driving 151kph in a 72kph zone, leading to Porsche saying the accident was the fault of the driver, and not any structural flaw with the car.