Tesla Resolves Legal Dispute Over Deadly Autopilot Accident
Tesla, a prominent manufacturer of electric vehicles, has been involved in several lawsuits in recent years. One such case is the death of Walter Huang, an Apple engineer and a father to two children, who died in a 2018 California car crash while using the Tesla Autopilot feature.
The lawsuit was settled without going to trial. This means details of the case, including witness testimonies and evidence, were not made public. Settlements can be seen as a way to avoid the potentially negative publicity of a trial.
Despite the ongoing legal issues, Tesla plans to launch a self-driving Robotaxi service in August.
What Went Wrong?
In 2020, the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), after investigating the crash, revealed that Tesla’s Autopilot feature was partially to blame for the incident. The other part of the fault goes to their driver, Walter, because of possible distraction and bad road construction. Furthermore, it was believed that Walter was looking at or playing a game on his phone at some point before the crash.
How is Tesla at fault? The agency revealed that before the crash, the Autopilot’s warning system did not notify Walter and its braking system did not activate when his car accelerated into the barrier. The faded lane markings and crash attenuator positioning might have added to the crash.
Who Was Really at Fault?
In the initial complaint, Walter’s family claimed that Tesla’s Model X technology would protect the driver from dangers like the car not maintaining a safe speed, veering out of its designated lane, running into obstacles on the highway, or crashing into stationary objects or other cars when it was on autopilot. However, in Mountain View, California, in March 2018, Huang was traveling along a highway while operating the autopilot feature. This resulted in a tragic collision.
His family contended in court that Tesla acted irresponsibly and carelessly when designing and promoting the 2017 Model X. After looking into the incident, US officials found that Huang disregarded Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance software’s warnings and was not holding the steering wheel when the collision occurred.
Tesla’s Defense
As predicted, Tesla defended the safety of its EVs and the Autopilot features. They re-emphasized the fact that EV drivers must concentrate on the road while driving. They further stated that the feature is just to assist drivers and not to replace their responsibilities while driving.
The Aftermath
So far, Tesla has recorded a significant reduction in deliveries when the year started. That contributed to mishaps like the fire outbreak in its European factory, disruptions in global shipping, and increasing competition from competitors like BYD. Due to the decline, Tesla has been reducing their market prices. Even with that, demand is faltering in countries like China.
On-Going Lawsuits Against Tesla
The following are some unresolved lawsuits filed against Tesla:
- Whistleblower allegations and retribution
- Vaughn’s racism class suit
- Contract misrepresented as loan
- Securities lawsuit related to Elon Musk’s “funding secured” tweet
- Fair housing and employment racism suit
- Texas police protest
- Autopilot suits
- Sexual harassment cases
- Individual racism lawsuit
- Dogecoin racketeering lawsuit
- Sudden unintentional braking class action
- Deceptive full self-driving and autopilot advertising
- Harcourt accident lawsuit
- California Civil Rights Department suit
Conclusion
The settlement amount Tesla paid was not disclosed. The company further asked the court to seal the lawsuit documents. “The future of the company remains unknown with some believing that the company’s recent challenges could lead to a decline in its market position,” says attorney Jimin Oh of Solution Now Law Firm. However, others suggest that Tesla might overcome these hurdles and bounce back even stronger.
