Tesla Sued Over Fatal Crash Involving Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Features
Tesla Inc. is facing a wrongful death lawsuit following a tragic crash that claimed the lives of three family members in New Jersey. The suit, filed Monday in federal court in Camden, alleges that the electric vehicle manufacturer’s advanced driver-assistance systems—Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD)—were responsible for the fatal accident.
The victims, David Dryerman, 54, his wife Michele, also 54, and their 17-year-old daughter Brooke, were killed on September 14, 2024, when their 2024 Model S veered off the Garden State Parkway in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. The vehicle struck a road sign, guardrail, and a concrete bridge support, according to the complaint.
According to court filings, the Dryermans were returning home from a music festival at the time of the crash and were all properly wearing seat belts. The lawsuit argues that the vehicle’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems were “defectively and unreasonably designed,” creating a false sense of security among drivers.
“Thousands of Tesla drivers have relied on Tesla’s ADAS technology as though it were capable of safe, fully autonomous self-driving with minor software updates, when in fact it is incapable of safely handling a variety of routine roadway scenarios without driver input,” the lawsuit stated.
According to Reuters reports, the company, headquartered in Austin, Texas, has long faced scrutiny over the safety of its driver-assistance technologies. Tesla has maintained that its systems are designed for use by fully attentive drivers who must keep their hands on the steering wheel, and that its vehicles are not autonomous.
In December 2023, under pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tesla recalled over 2 million vehicles in the United States to implement additional safety safeguards in its Autopilot system.