A jury in the state of Florida has found Tesla partially liable for a 2019 accident in which a Tesla Model S, operating with its autonomous driving system activated, struck and killed one pedestrian and seriously injured another.
The plaintiffs argued that the driver assistance software, known as Autopilot, should have alerted the driver and automatically braked before the collision occurred. Tesla countered that the driver, George McGee, was at fault and stated to the BBC that the jury’s verdict was “wrong,” while announcing plans to appeal. As a result of the ruling, Tesla is now required to pay up to $243 million (approximately 7.9 billion baht) in compensatory and punitive damages.
The verdict marks a significant setback for Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, who has long promoted autonomous driving technology as a core part of the company’s future. Following news of the ruling, Tesla’s shares dropped nearly 2% by the close of the U.S. market.
After the verdict, the plaintiffs’ attorney said Elon Musk had exaggerated the capabilities of Tesla’s Autopilot system. He also added that Tesla used “the hype around self-driving technology” to inflate the company’s valuation without regard for public road safety.
The lawsuit was filed by the family of Naibel Benavides Leon, who was killed after being struck by a Tesla Model S at a T-intersection in the Florida Keys in 2019. Her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, who suffered life-altering injuries, was also a plaintiff in the case.
The court heard that the driver, Mr. McGee, dropped his phone while approaching the intersection, causing him to take his eyes off the road. As a result, the vehicle continued through the intersection and crashed into a parked SUV on the other side, near where the victims were standing. Neither Mr. McGee nor the Autopilot system braked in time to avoid the collision.
After a three-week trial, the jury awarded a total of $329 million (approximately 10.7 billion baht) in damages—$129 million in compensatory damages (around 4.2 billion baht) and $200 million in punitive damages (around 6.5 billion baht). Tesla was ordered to pay one-third of the compensatory damages, or $42.5 million (around 1.4 billion baht), and the full amount of the punitive damages.
During the trial, Mr. McGee testified that he believed Tesla’s Autopilot would “assist him in case of failure” or mistakes, and that the technology had failed him. He reached a separate, undisclosed settlement with the plaintiffs.
Source: BBC
