A Florida jury has found Tesla partly to blame for a 2019 crash involving its Autopilot system that killed a young woman and severely injured another person.
The jury stated that the tech giant,Tesla must pay up to $243m in damages to the victims’ families. The crash happened when a Tesla Model S, using its self-driving software, hit 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon at a T-junction in the Florida Keys. Her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, survived but suffered life-changing injuries.
Lawyers for the victims argued that Tesla’s Autopilot software should have warned the driver and stopped the car before the crash. However, Tesla insisted that the driver, George McGee, was at fault because he wasn’t paying attention and was looking for his phone when he approached the intersection. Tesla said McGee had his foot on the accelerator, which overrides Autopilot, and that no 2019 car could have stopped the crash.
After a three-week trial, the jury awarded $329m, including $129m in compensatory damages and $200m in punitive damages meant to discourage dangerous behaviour by Tesla. The company is required to pay about one third of the compensatory amount and all of the punitive damages, though they expect that amount will be reduced.
Tesla says the verdict “is wrong and only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla’s and the entire industry’s efforts to develop and implement life-saving technology.” The company plans to appeal.
This is the first case related to Tesla’s Autopilot to reach a jury verdict. In previous fatal Autopilot crashes, Tesla has settled with victims’ families before trial.
Critics of Tesla’s self-driving technology say the company has misled the public and regulators. “Tesla is finally being held accountable for its defective designs and grossly negligent engineering practices,” said Missy Cummings, a professor of robotics at George Mason University.
For now, Tesla faces strong legal suit and growing pressure over its safety record and slowing sales.
