Family Blames Tesla For Their Teen Son’s Death in California Lawsuit
In a story that made national headlines, the Miami Herald reported on a California family that is suing Tesla for the death of their son. They are blaming the company’s Autopilot system.
The lawsuit states the teen was killed in an accident involving a Tesla Model 3. The suit claims the vehicle contains “defects which posed an unreasonable risk of injury or death to consumers.”
The father of the family was driving on I-880 with his son when he changed lanes. His car was rear-ended by the Tesla, causing his car to flip over and crash into a barrier on the freeway.
The child was ejected from the car and died at the scene. The father suffered spinal injuries. The suit claims the Tesla was going 69 in a 65-mph zone and accelerated to 70 two seconds before the collision.
The driver of the Tesla and his wife are also named as defendants. The lawsuit alleges that Tesla doesn’t place limits on when the Autopilot can be used and that Tesla customers use it “in conditions when it is dangerous to do so.”
Further claims state that the Tesla driver wasn’t in control at the time of the crash and for at least six seconds during the collision. Video footage from the Tesla’s cameras show that the victim’s car turned on its right-turn signal before switching lanes, then trying to move back over when the Tesla sped up.
Tesla believes that it was the driver that was at fault, not its Autopilot system.