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Porsche sued over crash that killed Paul Walker

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Old 05-12-2014, 11:04 PM
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Nicole
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Default Porsche sued over crash that killed Paul Walker

It's always somebody else's fault...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The widow of the man who was driving a Porsche sports car that crashed and killed "Fast & Furious" actor Paul Walker sued the automaker on Monday, claiming design flaws caused both men to die in a fiery crash in November.

The wrongful death lawsuit by Kristine M. Rodas says her husband was driving at 55 mph (88.5 kph) — not at unsafe speeds as law enforcement investigators determined — before it crashed last year. Roger W. Rodas was driving a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT capable of speeds more than 200 mph (320 kph), but his wife's lawsuit says the vehicle lacked a proper crash cage and safety features in the gas tank that would have saved both men's lives.

The lawsuit also contends that a failure in the car's suspension system forced it to careen out of control and strike three trees while driving down a street in Santa Clarita, California.

"The Carrera GT was unsafe for its intended use by reason of defects in its manufacture, design, testing, component and constituents, so that it would not safely serve its purpose," the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from Porsche Cars North America, which did not immediately return email messages seeking comment.

Kristine Rodas' attorney, Mark Geragos, said he hired the top experts in the country to evaluate the wreckage and crash. The results, he said, were an unbiased look at the accident that refutes an official investigation that determined the sports car was speeding at up to 94 mph (151 kph) when it crashed.

The results of an investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and California Highway Patrol were released in March and concluded that it was unsafe speed and not mechanical problems that caused the crash. That investigation was aided by engineers from Porsche, who evaluated the wreckage of the rare car.

The differing opinions on the crash will likely be a part of any trial over the lawsuit, which could take years to resolve.

Roger Rodas was trained as a race car driver, according to his wife's lawsuit. He left behind two young children upon his death.

Walker, the star of the "Fast & Furious" film franchise, co-owned an auto racing team with Rodas named Always Evolving.

Walker's death occurred on a break in the filming of "Fast & Furious 7," and the actor's two brothers are helping complete action scenes in the film. The film's release has been delayed until April 2015.
Old 05-12-2014, 11:20 PM
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FullThrottle64
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Do they really think they can prove that something broke, and that the car wasn't going more than 55? Having seen some photos, I can't imagine any possibility that it was only 55.....too much damage.

Tragic loss, to be sure, but is this really the legacy those guys would want to leave behind?
Old 05-13-2014, 12:17 AM
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fester
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Let's wait and see. I'm curious how it unfolds.
Old 05-13-2014, 12:30 AM
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This isn't the first time that Porsche has been sued over the Carrera GT - what was the outcome of the track incident lawsuit?
Old 05-13-2014, 12:36 AM
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Nine year old tires.

The report stated speeds were closer to 90 mph.

The suit is what it is.
Old 05-13-2014, 01:05 AM
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Plastique999
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Sad
Old 05-13-2014, 01:14 AM
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Porsche 25th
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Originally Posted by fester
Let's wait and see. I'm curious how it unfolds.
Spoiler alert:
The lawyers win regardless of the outcome.

Seriously, if it was a design flaw, one would expect to see other CGTs affected.
Old 05-13-2014, 03:02 AM
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RacingJunkie
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Roger Rodas was trained as a race car driver,

Just because somebody is rich does not make them a race car driver.
Old 05-13-2014, 05:56 AM
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Suzy991
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This is only possible in the USA. Rediculous!

The b**** wants to be sure that she doesn't have to work in the future, like she never did. It's only about money. This will not bring her husband back. She's clearly just a golddigger.
This whole Rodas/Walker story is annoying from day one. I've never been sorry for them, only for their relatives (now not anymore). This was just two men acting like little kids, driving faster than they can handle. Nothing more, nothing less. They can only blame theirselves. (Which is not easy if you're dead).
Old 05-13-2014, 09:09 AM
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wtdoom
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Originally Posted by Suzy991
This is only possible in the USA. Rediculous!

The b**** wants to be sure that she doesn't have to work in the future, like she never did. It's only about money. This will not bring her husband back. She's clearly just a golddigger.
This whole Rodas/Walker story is annoying from day one. I've never been sorry for them, only for their relatives (now not anymore). This was just two men acting like little kids, driving faster than they can handle. Nothing more, nothing less. They can only blame theirselves. (Which is not easy if you're dead).
Will you marry me ?
Old 05-13-2014, 10:01 AM
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Suzy991
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Originally Posted by wtdoom
Will you marry me ?
Do you have money? :P hahaha

No! just kidding!



I'm taken, sorry
Old 05-13-2014, 10:05 AM
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typical law suit ...porsche will pay them a small amount to go away
Old 05-13-2014, 10:21 AM
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nuvolari612
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...

Last edited by nuvolari612; 05-13-2014 at 10:54 AM.
Old 05-13-2014, 10:54 AM
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I deleted my post it stopped raining - going home to drive my CGT.

Would prefer being behind the wheel vs here
Old 05-13-2014, 11:40 AM
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Polar Peter
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America is the land of no accoutability. It's sickening....
The USA is breeding people to believe it's ok to blame others, to take no personal responsibility and that it's easier to sue for money then to earn it. This is another classic example of that....


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