Tesla is being sued by the family of a young adult who lost her life in a blazing Cybertruck crash last fall. This tragic event involved a group of four individuals who were inside the vehicle when it collided with a tree and ignited in a peaceful Bay Area town.
A single of the individuals involved in the accident survived.
Lawsuit Details
The suit, filed this week in a California court, is being brought by the relatives of Krysta Tsukahara, a university student who was with her relatives over the holiday break in a Bay Area community when the tragedy took place. The incident transpired on the night of late November, when the electric pickup was traveling at high speed, struck a tree and ignited, as stated in an investigative document. When power to the vehicle's electronic entry system was shut down by the fire, the four passengers were trapped within with no way out.
Allegations Regarding Vehicle Exit Mechanism
The lawsuit alleges the design of the Cybertruck’s door handles is responsible for Tsukahara’s death. From the inside of the truck, when electricity is cut off, the only way to get out of a back entrance is by tugging a release cord that’s beneath a pocket liner under the interior panel, according to an investigative report. Externally, the entry points also remain locked and the flush handles make it difficult for emergency responders to jimmy their way inside.
Tesla did not return inquiries about the case.
“This engineering of this vehicle let down our daughter,” said Roger Dreyer, the attorney acting for the Tsukahara family. “It lacked any operational, reachable emergency release or emergency release for her to escape.”
Design Scrutiny
The vehicle's entry mechanisms are a signature feature for the automobiles and a point of pride for the chief executive, the tech billionaire. These electric vehicles were the first make of car to be customized with such electric handles and are designed to be seamlessly integrated into the exterior of the car to provide the models a more sleek and aerodynamic look. However the design has drawn criticism from vehicle safety specialists and currently is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“Tesla had multiple, clear awareness that its dependence on electric entry mechanisms posed a significant danger of being trapped,” reads the suit. “Owners, bystanders, and first responders documented instances where vehicle passengers endured the impact but could not escape when the system lost power and flames erupted.”
Safety Record
The electric pickup has earned top crash test scores in crash tests, but the vehicle has also been subject to multiple safety recalls since it first debuted less than two years ago. The automaker has been involved in other lawsuits over vehicle safety, including a case in the Sunshine State where a jury ruled in late summer that Tesla must pay $243m in damages over its driver assistance system.
Additional Legal Action
Tsukahara’s family is also suing the estate of the driver, the individual behind the wheel, who at the moment of the crash was under the influence of alcohol, cocaine and amphetamines, as per a official autopsy from Alameda county. The driver also lost his life in the accident.
Emergency Response
On the night of the tragedy, a companion was driving behind the vehicle in a separate car and witnessed what transpired, according to various news reports. The individual rushed to try to save his friends, breaking a glass panel on the Cybertruck. He was able to save one passenger, but when he attempted to save the victim she wasn’t able to make it through the inferno.
Cause of Death
The lawsuit submitted this week claims that Tsukahara didn’t suffer physical trauma from the vehicle's impact with the tree, but rather she succumbed of smoke inhalation and fire injuries because she wasn’t able to escape the truck.
“Her death was preventable,” the victim's mother and father, Carl and Noelle Tsukahara, said in a statement. “She was alive after the crash. She called out for help. And she couldn’t get out.”
