Porsche says Paul Walker’s death was his ‘own comparative fault’

Porsche has claimed that Paul Walker’s death in a car crash was caused by his “own comparative fault”.

Walker, 40, was killed when the 2005 Carrera GT he was travelling in crashed in Santa Clarita, California in November 2013. The driver Roger Rodas was also killed.

His daughter, Meadow Walker, filed a lawsuit against Porsche claiming that the car her father died in had a number of design flaws.

The lawsuit claimed the actor was not killed on impact but by the fire after he became trapped.

In a seven page legal filing, Porsche Cars North America (PCNA)has dismissed claims of a design flaw and said the vehicle was "abused and altered" as well as “misused and improperly maintained” which "caused or contributed to the incident and to Mr Walker's death".

Porsche said: “PCNA 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 danger were open and obvious and known to him, and that he chose to conduct himself in a manner so as to expose himself to such perils, dangers and risks, thus assuming all the risks involved in using the vehicle.

“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.”

At the time of his death Walker was midway through filming Fast & Furious 7. His brother’s Caleb and Cody stood in as body doubles and the film became the fifth-highest grossing movie of all time.