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Widow of driver killed in Paul Walker crash sues Porsche

A wrongful death suit has been initiated stemming from last fall’s crash that killed actor Paul Walker and race car driver Roger Rodas. The Porsche Carrera GT the two were riding in lost control on a street in Santa Clarita, hit the curb, sideswiped a tree and a light pole before hitting another tree. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff and the California Highway Patrol, the accident was caused primarily be excessive speed.

However, the wife of deceased driver Roger Rodas disagrees. She believes that the car had design flaws (and other defects) that caused the car to be unsafe. As such, she has initiated a lawsuit against German automaker Porsche.

A wrongful death lawsuit is a civil action where the surviving members of someone killed in an accident seeks monetary compensation for their losses. They can seek compensation for lost future income, loss of companionship and emotional distress. At the same time, car manufacturers have a continuing duty to keep cars safe. If the manufacturer fails to do this, and accident occurs, those who are injured may bring a claim against the offending driver.

In this suit, Rodas’ widow, through her attorney, claims that the car’s rear right wheel suddenly steered to the left (instead of the right). This ostensibly caused the car to lose control. The complaint also contends that the car’s suspension was such that it was not able to keep the car closer to the ground despite the amount of horsepower it has.

It remains to be seen whether the wrongful suit will be successful.

Source: LA Times.com “Paul Walker crash: Driver’s widow sues Porsche, alleges design flaws,” Richard Winton, May 12, 2014

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