The family of a 19-year-old college student has sued Tesla after a fatal crash. Their daughter was a passenger in a Cybertruck that struck a tree at high speed and caught fire. The family argues that the crash itself was survivable, but a critical design issue led to her death.
According to the lawsuit, the vehicle's power failed after the impact. This caused the electronic door mechanism to stop working. As a result, the student was trapped inside the vehicle as the fire grew.
First responders and a friend who was nearby were also unable to open the doors from the outside. The lawsuit claims this is a major design flaw. It states that the manual release handle inside the truck was hidden and difficult to find during an emergency.
The family believes Tesla was aware of the potential dangers with its electronic door system. They accuse the company of negligence for not creating a more reliable or obvious way to escape the vehicle during a power failure. The lawsuit seeks to hold Tesla accountable for what they call a preventable tragedy.