A Tesla car involved in a fatal crash in 2019 was found not to have a manufacturer’s defect in its “Autopilot” self-driving feature, according to a California jury on Tuesday. The civil suit accused Tesla of “reckless and negligent behavior” following the high-speed incident near Los Angeles, in which a Tesla Model 3 collided with a palm tree and caught fire, resulting in the death of the driver and injuries to two passengers.
The lawsuit specifically blamed the car’s Autopilot and safety features for the accident. It argued that Tesla should have known that the technology was not ready for the market, yet the company and its CEO Elon Musk advertised and presented it as if it was.
In response to the verdict, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Jonathan Michaels of MLG Attorneys at Law, expressed disappointment but acknowledged that the case has brought national attention to the issue. He also noted that the fact that jurors deliberated for four days and were split nine to three casts doubt on the technology.
This is not the first time Tesla has faced lawsuits related to car accidents, and its driver-assistance technology has also attracted regulatory scrutiny in the United States. Elon Musk has previously stated that Tesla will achieve fully autonomous cars later this year, but the company has faced delays in meeting this milestone.
(Note: This article has been sourced from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by NDTV staff, except for the headline.)
