Porsche faces lawsuit after Paul Walker’s death in California
Film star Paul Walker died in California while riding in a Porsche Carrera GT, a high-powered sports car. The official investigation into what happened showed that the vehicle was going just under 100 miles per hour when it crashed, and speed was therefore a major contributor. The man who was driving was also killed along with Walker.
However, that man’s wife has now started a lawsuit. She contacted a lawyer, and they then brought in experts to do their own investigation. They found that the car was actually only going at 55 miles per hour. They said that the crash was truly caused by an issue with the suspension system that forced it off the road and out of control, even at those lower speeds. On top of that, they said that the cage for the drivers was not sufficient to protect them and that features that interacted with the gas tank — the car caught fire after crashing — were not up to that task, as well.
In short, the woman, who is the mother to a pair of young children, has said through the lawsuit that the car manufacturer was to blame for her husband’s death, because the vehicle itself was not safe for the two men to use. She is now suing the company over his passing.
When a single car accident takes lives, it is often assumed that the driver of the vehicle had to be to blame, seeing as how no other drivers could have caused the crash. However, as this lawsuit shows, it is possible for the blame to lie elsewhere. Anyone considering a similar case should pay attention to the outcome of this one to see what sort of evidence needs to be provided.
Source: The Sacramento Bee, “Porsche sued over crash that killed Paul Walker” No author given, May. 13, 2014