Accidents

US Jury Clears Tesla in Autopilot Crash Lawsuit

APR 22 2023·Updated APR 26 2023

Story

Image credit: Bloomberg [via Al Jazeera]

The Facts

On Friday, a California state court jury ruled that Tesla isn't responsible for a 2019 crash involving its partially automated driving software, Autopilot.
New York Post
The jury awarded Justine Hsu, a resident of Los Angeles, who sued the electric car maker in 2020 — alleging negligence, fraud, and breach of contract — no damages.
TechCrunch
In her lawsuit, she alleged her Tesla Model S turned into a median on a city street on Autopilot while the car's airbag was released "so violently it fractured Plaintiff’s jaw, knocked out teeth, and caused nerve damage to her face."
Al Jazeera
Furthermore, Hsu alleged the car had a defective Autopilot and a faulty airbag and sought $3M in damages from Tesla.
Newsweek
Denying its liability in the crash, Tesla said Hsu used Autopilot on city streets, despite the car's user manual warning against it.
NBC
After the verdict, the jurors said that Tesla's Autopilot feature didn't fail to perform safely, noting that "it's not a self-driving car… it's an auto assist" and that it was the driver's responsibility to pay attention to the software's audible and visual warnings.
Reuters

Sources Split

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CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

While Tesla may have escaped accountability in this particular case, it can't deny the reality that there have been dozens of accidents — many deadly — involving its auto-assist system. From the name of the technology to the company's manipulative marketing practices, it's no wonder that so many drivers overestimate it. Tesla must accept some responsibility.

nytimes

Narrative B

The verdict is a wake-up call to Tesla owners — these are not self-driving cars, so they can't over-rely on Autopilot. They must always be ready to take complete control as Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Driver Assistance features don't make the cars fully autonomous. While anyone can blame Elon Musk for false and misleading assurances, the responsibility for such accidents rests solely on the person behind the wheel.