A court ruling in a legal dispute surrounding a deadly accident linked to Tesla’s Autopilot driving assist system suggests that there is considerable indication that Tesla’s management was cognizant of the potentially fatal misuse of its driving technology. Now, as per a report by Reuters, the case is set to proceed to trial where the victim’s family will present their arguments to a jury.
The incident in question took place in 2019 near Miami, Florida. Stephen Banner was at the wheel of his Tesla Model 3 with Autopilot engaged when a large truck emerged onto the roadway. The Tesla, programmed to travel at 69 mph, failed to detect either Banner’s hands on the steering wheel or the existence of the motionless trailer obstructing its path, according to details from The Washington Post. The vehicle proceeded beneath the trailer, causing severe damage and tragically claiming Banner’s life.
Following the accident, Banner’s spouse filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court for Palm Beach County, which was sanctioned to progress to trial by Judge Reid Scott. Judge Scott supposedly referenced a video released by Tesla in 2016 where the company declared that “the vehicle is autonomous,” without clarifying that the footage was a vision for the future or that such technology was not yet available in the market. Subsequent disclosures by Tesla staff unveiled that the demonstration was orchestrated.
Tesla Model 3. Tesla
Judge Scott determined that there was proof that Tesla had adopted a marketing strategy portraying its products as self-sufficient, despite legal declarations acknowledging that even their “Full Self-Driving” software was not entirely capable. In a televised segment of 60 Minutes in 2018, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was observed removing his hands from the steering wheel while Autopilot was in operation, directly defying advice not to do so. Judge Scott remarked that such marketing maneuvers “significantly influenced perceptions regarding the products’ functionalities.”
According to reports from Reuters, Judge Scott stated, “It would be rational to infer that the Defendant Tesla, alongside its CEO and engineers, was keenly mindful of the Autopilot’s deficiency in recognizing cross traffic.” The judge additionally drew parallels with a comparable 2016 incident resulting in the death of Joshua Brown, where another Tesla failed to detect a semi-truck and ended up beneath it.
This legal ruling paves the way for the trial to proceed, granting the victim’s spouse the opportunity to illustrate to the jury that Tesla’s safety notifications were insufficient given the misrepresentation in Tesla’s marketing efforts.
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