by Court Orders Tesla to Pay $242.5 Million Over Autopilot Accident
Tesla may be forced to pay $242.5 million following an accident that occurred in 2019. The crash resulted in the death of a woman and serious injuries to her companion. Tesla emphasizes that the driver was pressing the gas pedal, so the Autopilot system could not prevent the collision.
A court in the Southern District of Florida found Tesla partially responsible for the accident, where the driver of a Model S, trying to pick up a dropped phone, lost control of the car. According to the case file, the car accelerated to over 60 mph and crashed into a parked SUV. As a result, one person died, and another sustained numerous fractures and a head injury.
Today’s verdict is wrong and will only harm road safety. The evidence shows that the driver was at fault because he was accelerating by pressing the gas pedal and not looking at the road.
The court ordered the company to pay $42.5 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. Tesla has already stated its intention to appeal the decision, claiming that the case was fabricated to shift responsibility from the driver to the manufacturer.
This case could have serious consequences for Tesla, especially if the appeal does not yield the desired result. The company insists that no car in 2019 (or even now) would have been able to prevent such an accident under similar circumstances. However, the judges seem to have taken into account claims that Autopilot’s capabilities were exaggerated in marketing materials.
