Introduction to the Case
A jury will decide whether Tesla is partly responsible for the death of a young woman who was struck by an electric car on autopilot. The woman, Naibel Benavides, died at the scene of the collision, which threw her 22 meters (75 feet) through the air in Florida. Her friend was seriously injured in the 2019 incident, and her body was found in a forested area.
Background of the Incident
The driver of the Tesla, George McGee, is not a plaintiff and has reached a separate agreement with the families of the victims. Lawyers argue that the car’s driver aid would have warned the driver and slowed down before the collision. It is alleged that the Tesla model ran through a red light and a stop sign at almost 70 miles per hour.
Tesla’s Response
However, Tesla claims that the driver is exclusively to blame because he had picked up a fallen mobile phone at the time. The company stated that "the evidence clearly shows that this crash has nothing to do with Tesla’s autopilot technology. Instead, like so many unfortunate accidents, since mobile phones were invented, a distracted driver was caused."
Legal Proceedings
Last cases against Tesla have been released or settled, which rarely made this legal proceeding. In recent years, improvements in driver aid and partially self-driving features of the company have been made. In 2023, however, 2.3 million Tesla vehicles were recalled because autopilot was not sufficiently aware of the street.
Jury Selection
The jury was selected on Monday, and three potential jurors said they would be fair and impartial towards Tesla due to the "ethics and ownership" of the company. After the jury had been selected, a lawyer representing the victims said, "Evidence of evidence of this crime was proof of this crime, Tesla ignored warnings."
Evidence to be Presented
The jury was also informed that evidence would be presented showing that Tesla’s CEO had publicly stated that Tesla vehicles were "safer than a person." The lawyer added, "This is a case on common responsibility. Tesla assumes no responsibility for the failure of his autopilot system. Evidence shows that each actor needs a stage and Tesla the requirements for the avoidable actions that bring us here."
