Paul Walker Crash: Porsche Not At Fault For Fatal Accident, Says Judge

Paul Walker and Roger Rodas‘s fatal accident in November 2013 is not the fault of carmaker Porsche, according to a federal judge.

Porsche Not At Fault

U.S. District Judge Phillip S. Gutierrez ruled Sunday that Porsche cannot be held responsible for the car accident that resulted in the deaths of Walker and Rodas, reported CNN. Rodas’ surviving wife Kristine Rodas had claimed that the Porsche Carrera GT that he was driving did not have a number of key safety features, but Gutierrez did not believe there was enough evidence to support that claim.

“Plaintiff has provided no competent evidence that Rodas’ death occurred as a result of any wrongdoing on the part of defendant,” Gutierrez wrote in his ruling.

Rodas intends to appeal.

Despite Gutierrez’s ruling, Walker’s 17-year-old daughter Meadow Walker is still moving forward with her own wrongful lawsuit against Porsche. Her lawyer, Jeff Milam, believes that her lawsuit still has a shot of success due to the manner in which the late Fast & Furious star died. Unlike Rodas, who died instantly, Walker survived the initial impact only to die shortly thereafter.

“The issues in the cases are very different. 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,” Milam said. “A significant portion of the judge’s decision (in the Rodas case) was based on his rejection of evidence because of missed deadlines and also a failure to sue Porsche AG, the manufacturer. Meadow will continue the fight to hold Porsche accountable for selling a defective product that kills.”

Porsche is facing additional wrongful death lawsuits from Rodas’ children and Walker’s father.