The US car company Tesla has won its first trial over a fatal accident related to an assistance system. Tesla’s autopilot was not responsible for the accident, the court said.
In Riverside, California, a court decision was made yesterday in favor of Tesla – in what could be a landmark trial: The company’s autopilot software was not responsible for a fatal accident in 2019.
A majority jury concluded Tuesday that the vehicle had no manufacturing defect. After four days of deliberations, nine of the twelve jurors gave Tesla the right. There has so far been no statement from Tesla and the plaintiffs.
One dead and two Seriously injured
The case involved an accident with a Tesla Model 3. The car left the road on a highway at 105 kilometers per hour in 2019, hit a palm tree and burst into flames. The driver, Micah Lee, was killed and two passengers were seriously injured.
The passengers sued Tesla, accusing the carmaker of knowing when it sold the vehicle that the autopilot and other safety systems were faulty. When Lee bought the Tesla package with all self-driving capabilities for his Model 3 in 2019 for $6,000, the system was still in the beta phase – and therefore not ready for general use.
Human error as a cause of the accident?
In its argument to the court, Tesla pointed out that when using the autopilot system, drivers should keep an eye on the traffic situation and be ready to take control at any time. There is also no solid evidence that the system was activated before the accident.
In this specific case, Tesla also argued that human error caused the accident. Lee drank alcohol before getting behind the wheel.
Numerous additional lawsuits pending
The verdict could point the way for Tesla, which is run by US billionaire Elon Musk, but also for the US judiciary. The electric car manufacturer is facing several similar lawsuits in the USA. A similar procedure has been underway in the US state of Florida since October. This is about a death in which a driver in a Model 3 came under a truck trailer in 2019. According to the plaintiffs, the autopilot neither initiated braking nor intervened in the steering.