Porsche have responded to the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Paul Walker's teenage daughter Meadow Walker, which claims that the actor would still have been alive if the car had proper safety features.In a statement issued on Tuesday, the car manufacturer said: "We are saddened whenever anyone is hurt in a Porsche vehicle, but we believe the authorities' reports in this case clearly established that this tragic crash resulted from reckless driving and excessive speed."
A report that was issued by the LA County Sheriff's department after Paul’s death in 2013, concluded that the 2006 Porsche Carrera GT, which was being driven by his friend Roger Rodas, was travelling "between 80 and 93 mph at the time the car impacted a power pole and several trees". The speed limit on the road the pair were travelling on was 45 mph, CNN reports.But lawyers acting on behalf of 16-year-old Meadow have alleged that despite "knowing that the Carrera GT had a history of instability and control issues", the company "failed to install its electronic stability control system" which is "specifically designed to protect against the swerving actions inherent in hyper-sensitive vehicles of this type".In addition, the lawsuit claims that a "defective" seatbelt trapped Paul in the car, stating that the Fast and Furious actor might otherwise have been able to get out of the car before it caught on fire. It also alleged that the fire itself was caused by faulty rubber fuel lines.
Jeff Milam, an attorney representing Meadow, told TMZ: "The bottom line is that 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."Paul tragically passed away alongside his friend in November 2013 at the age of 40 in Santa Clarita in California.Earlier this month, Meadow marked her late father’s birthday by launching the Paul Walker Foundation in his honour, to "share that piece of him with the world" she wrote on social media.