Tesla Sued For Wrongful Death After Fatal Crash Involving Self-Driving Software

A grieving family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla. According to the lawsuit, the company misrepresented the safety of its Autopilot feature. The lawsuit contends that the Autopilot caused a 33-year-old California man to crash into the back of a fire truck, which resulted in fatal injuries.

According to Tesla, its Autopilot feature is an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that is designed to automate certain vehicle functions to enhance convenience and safety. Teslas include a traffic-aware cruise control, which adjusts the car’s speed based on the surrounding traffic. It also includes an autosteer feature to assist with maintaining lane position, navigation on Autopilot for route guidance, and auto lane change for switching lanes on highways.

Despite these advanced features, Autopilot operates as a Level 2 system on the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) scale of autonomous driving, which means it only provides partial automation. The “Autopilot” feature requires continuous human control. Drivers are expected to keep their hands on the steering wheel and remain ready to assume control of the vehicle at any moment.

The plaintiff’s lawsuit contends that Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing tactics and suggested that its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving capabilities were safer than human drivers. The lawsuit contends that Tesla’s misrepresentations prompted the driver and decedent to trust the Autopilot feature, which failed to detect an emergency vehicle. This resulted in a fatal collision that also caused injuries to others at the scene.

Understanding the wrongful death claims against Tesla 

According to the complaint, the decedent drove his Tesla Model S in Autopilot mode at approximately 71 mph for around 12 minutes on Interstate 680 when the vehicle collided with a parked fire truck blocking his lane. The lawsuit claims that the decedent frequently relied on the Autopilot feature while traveling on the freeway. This choice was influenced by Tesla’s advertising, which made it seem like the Autopilot was safe and fully autonomous.

The complaint makes allegations of strict product liability, negligent product liability, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation, concealment, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and wrongful death.

The plaintiff’s lawsuit is not only seeking economic and non-economic damages, but also punitive damages as well based on Tesla’s alleged reckless disregard for safety, willful misrepresentation of its Autopilot feature, and the conscious decision to prioritize profits over consumer protection, which resulted in preventable injuries and death.

Talk to a Florida Product Liability Lawyer Today 

The Florida product liability attorneys at Halpern, Santos & Pinkert represent the interests of plaintiffs in lawsuits filed against companies that produce dangerous or defective products. Call our Florida personal injury lawyers today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin investigating your case right away.

Source:

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