Jury finds Tesla liable in fatal Autopilot crash, awards $243M
A jury in Florida has ordered Tesla to pay over $240 million in damages after finding the company partially responsible for a fatal 2019 crash involving one of its vehicles operating in Autopilot mode. The verdict, which includes both punitive and compensatory damages, marks a significant development as the first Autopilot-related case to proceed to a jury trial.
The incident occurred in Key Largo, Florida, in 2019. George McGee was driving a Tesla Model S with the company’s Autopilot software engaged. Traveling at night on a two-lane road, the vehicle collided with the rear of a legally parked black SUV at a speed exceeding 50 miles per hour. At the time of impact, 22-year-old college student Naibel Benavides and her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, were standing outside the SUV. Benavides tragically lost her life, while Angulo sustained serious injuries. Evidence presented during the trial indicated that McGee was searching for his phone at the moment of the collision.
The Florida jury assigned two-thirds of the responsibility for the crash to McGee, while attributing one-third to Tesla. The jury determined that Tesla’s Autopilot software failed to initiate braking as the vehicle approached the intersection, ultimately leading to the deadly collision.
Brett Schreiber, counsel for the plaintiffs, highlighted the discrepancy between Autopilot’s design and its real-world application. “Tesla designed Autopilot only for controlled access highways yet deliberately chose not to restrict drivers from using it elsewhere, alongside Elon Musk telling the world Autopilot drove better than humans,” Schreiber stated. This argument suggests that Tesla’s marketing and lack of geographical restrictions for the system contributed to the accident.
Tesla has strongly condemned the ruling and announced its intention to appeal the decision. In a statement, the company asserted, “Today’s 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. We plan to appeal given the substantial errors of law and irregularities at trial.”
This case stands out as the first instance of a lawsuit concerning alleged failures of Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance systems reaching a jury trial. Historically, Tesla has opted to settle similar cases out of court to avoid protracted legal proceedings. For example, earlier this year, the company settled a separate 2019 incident involving a Model 3 that allegedly failed to avoid a collision with a tractor-trailer.
The verdict, which has been accepted by the presiding judge, comes at a pivotal time for Tesla as it endeavors to expand its fully autonomous “Robotaxi” service. This service aims to allow users to request rides from driverless Tesla vehicles. However, the limited launch of the Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, has reportedly been marred by instances of dangerous driving. More recently, the company initiated the service in San Francisco, though in this deployment, a human driver remains present in the driver’s seat.
The jury’s decision underscores the ongoing legal and safety scrutiny surrounding advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous vehicle technology, particularly as companies like Tesla push towards wider adoption of self-driving capabilities.