"The family of 19-year-old Krysta Tsukahara has filed a wrongful lawsuit against Tesla, alleging its "dangerously defective" Cybertruck door handle design trapped her inside a burning vehicle, as first reported by The New York Times. The lawsuit, filed in a California court on Thursday, claims Tesla continued to sell its vehicles despite "repeated and direct notice" that its electronic door handles posed a serious risk of entrapment."
"In November 2024, the driver of a Cybertruck carrying three passengers hit a tree in Piedmont, California. The crash killed the driver, 19-year-old Soren Dixon, and one of the passengers, 20-year-old Jack Nelson. The lawsuit alleges Tsukahara survived the initial accident and was left with "minor injuries" while in the rear passenger seat. However, the Cybertruck caught fire "for an unknown reason," and its electronic door system failed due to a loss of power, according to the lawsuit."
"Concerns about Tesla's electronic door handles have grown in recent months, with a recent report from Bloomberg highlighting several incidents in which the company's vehicles lost power and trapped passengers inside. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has since opened an investigation into the door handles. During an interview with Bloomberg, Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen said the company is working on a redesign that would combine the electronic and manual door handle into one button,"
The family of 19-year-old Krysta Tsukahara filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging Tesla's Cybertruck electronic door-handle design trapped her inside a burning vehicle. The November 2024 crash in Piedmont, California killed the driver and another passenger; Tsukahara reportedly survived the impact with minor injuries but died from smoke inhalation and burns after the Cybertruck caught fire and the electronic door system failed due to a loss of power. The lawsuit claims Tesla continued selling vehicles despite repeated notice of entrapment risks. Bloomberg reports similar power-loss incidents and the NHTSA opened an investigation; Tesla is working on a redesign.
Read at The Verge
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