- Tesla reached a confidential settlement in a 2019 Autopilot crash case.
- The case ended a month before trial after four years of litigation.
- Settlement follows a $329 million verdict in a similar Florida incident.
In August of 2019, a man driving his Ford Explorer Sport Trac was hit from behind by another driver in a 2019 Tesla Model 3 who was using Autopilot. The Ford’s driver lost control as the truck rolled and his 15-year-old son, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected and killed. Just weeks before the case was set to go to trial, Tesla quietly settled the lawsuit that followed.
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The Tesla driver, Romeo Yalung, was traveling at 69 mph (111 km/h) in lane three of Interstate 880 in California. Video from the EV shows the driver of the Ford, Benjamin Escudero, signaling and moving into the same lane ahead. Neither Yalung nor the Tesla, which had Autopilot engaged at the time, slowed down to avoid hitting the Ford.
More: Crash Victim Trapped In Burning Tesla Sues Over Door Handles
The lawsuit named multiple parties, not only Tesla and Yalung but also Yalung’s wife, who was in the passenger seat at the time. Over four years, Judge Rebekah Everson had the option to dismiss the case but allowed it to move forward. Now, with trial just a month away, Tesla has reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount.
That might seem like a shock considering some of the surrounding factors. Tesla has a largely victorious record in court when lawsuits about Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (Supervised) come up. Juries and judges have agreed in almost all cases that the person behind the wheel is responsible for driving and not Tesla. In addition, video of the tragic crash certainly calls into question Mr. Yalung’s attentiveness.
That said, this all comes after a Florida jury decided that Tesla was 33 percent liable for another fatal crash involving Autopilot. In that case, the driver of the Tesla hit two people on the side of the road, admitted fault to the police, and said that he wasn’t paying attention when the crash happened. Despite that, the jury awarded the plaintiffs $242 million.
Tesla is now appealing that verdict, but another loss in court could have been damaging. Settling this California case may have been a calculated move to avoid the risk of a repeat outcome.
Sources: Freightwaves, Carcomplaints
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