Paul Walker Was Responsible for His Own Death, Porsche Says

Car company is being sued by actor’s daughter over deadly crash

Universal Pictures

Porsche has a message for Paul Walker‘s daughter: Her father was responsible for his own actions on the day that he died.

Porsche Cars North America has fired back at the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Meadow Walker, saying that the “Furious 7” star knew what he was getting into when he climbed into a Porsche 2005 Carrera GT for a ride that ultimately led to his death.

“[Porsche Cars North America] alleges that Mr. Walker knowingly and voluntarily assumed all risk, perils and danger in respect to the use of the subject 2005 Carrera GT, that the perils, risk and dangers were open and obvious and known to him, and that he chose to conduct himself in a manner as to expose himself to such perils, dangers and risks, thus assuming all the risks involved in using the vehicle,” court papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by TheWrap state. “Mr. Walker’s voluntary assumption of the risk should bar the plaintiff’s recovery or, in the alternative, should reduce the plaintiff’s right to recovery from PCNA in an amount equivalent to Mr. Walker’s fault.”

The younger Walker filed suit in September, claiming that the car her father died in lacked safety features that could have saved his life. Her lawsuit alleges that, despite Porsche being aware that the Carrera GT had “a history of stability and control problems,” the company failed to install its electronic stability control system, and lightened the weight of the car by using side-door reinforcement bars that “lacked adequate welds and consisted of material weaker in strength than what is used in popular mass-market cars.”

In its response, Porsche claims that the car in question “was misused and improperly maintained, and that the “misuse or improper maintenance proximately caused or contributed to the incident  and to Mr. Walker’s death.”

Porsche also says that Walker “was a knowledgeable and sophisticated user of the 2005 Carrera GT.”

The actor died in a November 2013 crash in Southern California.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department determined that the deadly crash was the result of “unsafe speed,” with traffic collision experts finding that the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT was traveling between 80 and 93 miles per hour when it collided with a power pole and multiple trees. The posted speed limit on the Santa Clarita, California, road where the crash occurred was 45 m.p.h. Despite the sheriff department’s report, the lawsuit contends that the car was only traveling 45 to 55 m.p.h. when it struck the pole.

Walker was a passenger in the vehicle and the wife of driver, Roger Rodas, has also filed suit against Porsche, maintaining that the crash occurred because of a failure in the car’s suspension system, as well as a lack of proper safety features.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

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