Tesla has settled a lawsuit with the family of a Model X owner who died while using the Autopilot feature, avoiding a high-stakes trial involving Elon Musk’s electric car company. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but the lawsuit was brought by the family of Walter Huang, a former Apple engineer who died in a crash involving his Model X in 2018. The family sued Tesla for wrongful death, claiming the car’s autopilot features were defective and failed to prevent the crash.
Jury selection was set to begin in the California state court for the trial, which was being closely watched due to the high profile of Tesla and the concerns surrounding its self-driving technology. The lawsuit alleged that Huang’s car swerved out of a travel lane and crashed into a median because of the car’s automated driving features, which were supposedly lacking in effective anti-collision systems in comparison to other automakers at the time. The National Transportation Safety Board found that the Model X was not designed to detect the barrier that Huang’s car hit, but the agency also noted that he may have been distracted by a cell phone game at the time.
Tesla has argued that Huang’s crash was caused by his misuse of the Autopilot features, pointing to his playing a phone game while driving. The company maintains that drivers must remain fully attentive when using assistive technology and that the cars do not fully drive themselves. Tesla has faced criticism and scrutiny over the safety of its Autopilot feature, with reports of fatal crashes and technical issues leading to a recall of 2 million vehicles last year. The company has emphasized the need for a fully attentive driver while using the technology and has faced investigations over potential misleading safety claims to investors.
Despite the settlement and ongoing controversies, Tesla continues to push forward with its autonomous driving ambitions. Elon Musk recently announced plans to unveil a “robotaxi” in August, bolstering the company’s focus on self-driving technology. Musk, who is currently the world’s third-richest person with a net worth estimated at $193.8 million, has been at the center of attention as Tesla grapples with the challenges and opportunities of its Autopilot feature. The company has won trials in the past over fatal accidents involving its self-driving systems, with jurors finding that the technology was not defective and drivers were properly warned about the need to pay attention while using it.
