A U.S. district judge has dismissed the argument that vehicle malfunction in Porsche Carere GT and not excessive speed led to the November 2013 car crash that claimed the life of "Fast & Furious" star Paul Walker along with his friend Roger Rodas.
The suit was filed by Roger's widow Kristine Rodas. Roger was reportedly behind the wheel of a Porsche Carrera GT when it spun out of control, struck three trees and burst into flames on a street in Santa Clarita on November 20, 2013. The late actor, 40, and his friend, 38, were ponounced dead at the scene.
In the ruling, Judge Philip Gutierrez declared that Kristine failed to present the sufficient evidence to prove that the alleged design flaws had led to her husband's death. She had argued that several mechanical issues, including the vehicle's lack of a crash cage or a racing fuel cell, were at fault.
However, the judge found that neither the feature would have prevented Roger from succumbing to the blows that he received from the massive crash. The suit was one of the three lawsuits that have been filed against the German manufacturer after the fateful crash, the other two being filed by the late actor's teenage daughter Meadow Walker and another by his father.
However, experts have claimed that the recent decision is unlikely to affect the other lawsuits. Reports stated that despite the ruling, Meadow will continue with her lawsuit since the cases have different angles.
"Meadow's father, Paul Walker, was a passenger in the car. He survived the crash but was trapped and burned to death because of the vehicle's defects," People quoted Meadow's attorney Jeff Milam as saying.
A 2013 coroner's report stated that Paul had survived the crash but died minutes after due to injuries from the impact and the resulting fire after which he was trapped inside, CNN reported.
Paul was on a break from the ongoing filming schedule of "Furious 7." The movie was later completed with the help of the late brother Cody Walker, who pitched in as his body double. Filming of eighth instalment of the series "Fast & Furious 8" has already started in Iceland. Watch the official trailer below: