logo
Terrifying dashcam footage shows what it's like trapped inside a self-driving Tesla that crashed and KILLED woman

Terrifying dashcam footage shows what it's like trapped inside a self-driving Tesla that crashed and KILLED woman

Daily Mail​19-07-2025
Terrifying dash camera footage shows the moment a self-driving Tesla rammed into a couple killing a young woman and leaving her boyfriend with life changing injuries.
Naibel Benavides Leon, 22, died after the Tesla Model S slammed in to her and boyfriend Dillon Angulo, then 27, in 2019.
The couple had pulled over to look at the stars at the side of a road near Key Largo, Florida, when they were struck by the vehicle after driver George McGee took his eye off the road to reach for his phone.
Footage from the Tesla's front camera showed McGee blow through a red light as he speeds down the road at nearly 70mph.
The car passes a stop sign and crashes through several other road signs before striking the couple's vehicle, which was parked 40 feet off Card Sound Road by County Road 905.
Benavides Leon was thrown 75 feet and died at the scene, while Angulo suffered serious injuries, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Tesla by the woman's estate.
The filings accuse Tesla of advertising its self-driving system Autopilot, 'in a way that greatly exaggerated its capabilities and hid its deficiencies '.
'The McGee Tesla Model S had an Autopilot system that was still in Beta, meaning it was not fully tested for safety, and, further, the system was not designed to be used on roadways with cross-traffic or intersections,' the lawsuit states.
'Nevertheless, Tesla programed the system so that it could be operated in such areas.'
The documents call-out Tesla boss Elon Musk and allege he ignored previous reports about issues with the Autopilot feature, listing out 56 alleged incidents.
'Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, made the intentional decision to continue encouraging Tesla drivers to over-rely on its Autopilot system,' the filing states.
'Tesla chose to continue profiting from the sales of their defective vehicles and software systems rather than heed warnings from government agencies, experts, and other car companies.'
The lawsuit provides allegations about the fatal crash on April 25, 2019.
'While McGee was reaching for his phone, the vehicle detected a stop sign, a stop bar, the road's edge, a pedestrian, and a parked Chevrolet Tahoe, but the Vehicle did not provide McGee with any audio alert or other warning of the obstacles and never engaged its emergency brakes,' court documents said.
McGee told cops he was driving in 'cruise' and he took his hand off the wheel to retrieve his dropped cell phone and then hit the truck, according to the complaint.
'McGee stated to officers, "[i]t was actually because I was driving. I looked down and I've been using cruise control, and I looked down, I didn't realize (INAUDIBLE) and then I sat up. The minute I sat up, I hit the brakes and saw his truck,' the legal filings state.
The lawsuit also claims that McGee told a 911 operator he was not paying attention during the drive.
'Shortly after the crash, McGee called 911, telling the operator: 'Oh my God, I wasn't looking," "I don't know what happened. I ended up missing the turn. I was looking down," and "I dropped my phone. Oh my God,"' the document said.
The complaint claims that McGee relied on Tesla's autopilot feature to drive him home.
Tesla Traffic Aware Cruise Control claims to help drivers maintain safe distance from the car in front, automatically break and with lane control.
The Elon Musk founded company has said its features are meant for 'fully attentive' drivers, opens new tab holding the steering wheel, and the features do not make its vehicles autonomous.
Proceedings in the case are scheduled to being on July 14, marking the first time a wrongful death case against Tesla is heading to trial.
Daily Mail has contacted Tesla for comment on this story.
In June, Tesla failed to persuade a federal judge to end the lawsuit after the judge said the plaintiffs offered sufficient evidence that Autopilot defects were a 'substantial factor' in their injuries.
While McGee, who is not a defendant, conceded he was not driving safely, but that didn't automatically make him solely responsible, 'particularly given McGee's testimony that he expected Autopilot to avoid the collision,' US District Judge Beth Bloom said.
Bloom said the failure to warn claim survived in part because Autopilot's risks might be hard to extract from the owner's manual on Model S touchscreens.
'Tesla deliberately blurs the distinction between whether its automation system is merely a 'driver assist' system or a fully autonomous system that does not require the driver's constant attention,' the complaint states.
They go on to quote Musk in September, 2016 when he asserted that: 'The exciting thing is that even if the vision system doesn't recognize what the object is because it could be a very strange looking vehicle, it could be a multi-car pileup, it could be a truck crossing the road, it really could be anything – an alien spaceship, a pile of junk metal that fell off the back of a truck, per the lawsuit.
'It actually doesn't matter what the object is, it just knows that there's something dense that it is going to hit – and it should not hit that.'
But the lawsuit claims Tesla is liable because its promises about Autopilot are what motivated McGee to purchase the vehicle.
'At all material times, George McGee purchased the vehicle in large part because of the Autopilot and other safety features advertised by Tesla,' the document states.
A summary judgement denial from Judge Bloom allowing the plaintiffs to pursue punitive damages states that: 'McGee testified that his beliefs about the capabilities of Autopilot came from "looking at information on the [V]ehicle" . . . [and] Plaintiffs contend that he likely watched videos online or on Tesla's website about the [V]ehicle's features and how they work . . . [including] [o]ne video show[ing] Tesla['s] drivers operating the vehicle without their hands.'
Bloom also dismissed the estate's manufacturing defect and negligent misrepresentation claims.
The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages and the trial got underway this week.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Turtle meets grim fate after Florida woman attempts to smuggle creature through airport TSA inside her bra
Turtle meets grim fate after Florida woman attempts to smuggle creature through airport TSA inside her bra

Daily Mail​

time28 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Turtle meets grim fate after Florida woman attempts to smuggle creature through airport TSA inside her bra

A Florida woman attempted to smuggle turtles through airport security by hiding them inside her bra - leaving one of the creature to meet a grim and tragic fate. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Miami International Airport made the shocking discovery during a routine security screening where they found two live turtles stuffed inside a traveler's bra. The unnamed woman was allegedly attempting to fly out of Miami airport but she was caught red-handed when TSA agent cracked her shell of a plan. Tragically, one of the animals did not survive the ordeal. The surviving turtle was handed over to the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife, which is now caring for the creature. In a now-viral Facebook post, TSA shared the unique story and reminded passengers that while pets are allowed to travel, there are strict guidelines in place. 'OK friends, please - and we cannot emphasize this enough - stop hiding animals in weird places on your body and then trying to sneak them through airport security,' TSA urged in the post. 'No, really,' the post continued. 'A Florida woman traveling out of Miami International Airport (MIA) recently attempted to take a pair of turtles through our checkpoint, and the turtles were stuffed inside… yes, you guessed it… her brassiere.' TSA Officials blasted the irresponsible pet owner for her reckless stunt in the pun-filled post. 'We want you to be able to travel with your pets, and you turtle-ly can, but please travel with them safely.' 'You can start by reaching out to your airline for their rules concerning pets on board flights.' The officials reminded passengers of basic rules when traveling with pets - emphasizing that all small pets must be carried through security checkpoint, not concealed under a shirt. 'As far as TSA screening goes, small pets are allowed through our checkpoint but must be removed from any carriers and carried through the checkpoint (notice we said 'carried' and not 'hidden underneath your clothing').' 'Sadly, for this MIA traveler, one of the turtles didn't survive. The surviving turtle was turned over to the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife, and we're thankful for their partnership throughout this incident.' The TSA officials did not release the name of the passenger responsible, nor did they provide the the motive behind her actions. It's unclear at this point whether she will face any criminal charges. The post was met with mixed reactions - with some users outraged by the woman's mishandling of the animals and others shocked by the absurdity of the story. 'Hiding it her bra was not the first place I thought she would hid it. LOL,' one user commented. Another wrote: 'Only in Florida.' But others demanded that the woman face serious consequences. 'So what are her consequences? Any? Or does she just get told don't do that again,' one user commented. In a now-viral Facebook post, TSA shared the unique story and reminded passengers that while pets are allowed to travel, there are strict guidelines in place This isn't the first surprise for TSA agents - who regularly encounter wild smuggling attempts - sometimes involving much larger animals. In 2023, TSA agents in Florida found a four-foot boa constrictor in a woman's carry-on bag after her suitcase was passed through an X-ray machine. The woman told agents at Tampa International Airport that the snake was 'an emotional support pet,' a TSA spokesperson said at the time. The TSA released X-ray images of the snake on Friday. The images showed the animal curled up in the corner of a tray next to ordinary items such as sneakers, a belt, and a laptop. The agency says it notified the airline which confirmed that it would not allow the snake in the plane's cabin. The TSA said snakes are never allowed to travel in carry-on luggage and only on some airlines can they be checked-in.

Beach city scraps 10,000 new homes and plans F1-style track instead that locals rage is 'dumb' and 'desperate'
Beach city scraps 10,000 new homes and plans F1-style track instead that locals rage is 'dumb' and 'desperate'

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Beach city scraps 10,000 new homes and plans F1-style track instead that locals rage is 'dumb' and 'desperate'

Locals in a popular New Jersey beach city are enraged after it ditched plans to build 10,000 new homes for a 'dumb' and 'desperate' $3.4 billion F1-style racetrack. Atlantic City government officials have moved forward with the redevelopment of Bader Field, a shuttered airport about an hour outside of Philadelphia, after plans for the new racetrack were officially approved on July 16. The idea to take over the abandoned city-owned airport, which shut down in 2006, first started in 2022 when Bart Blatstein, the CEO of Tower Investments, Inc. and owner of Showboat Atlantic City, said his company and Atlantic City would collaborate to create a massive residential community. The proposed $3 billion development, dubbed 'Casa Mar,' was set to be built on 140 acres with 10,000 residential units, 20 acres of trails, amenities and parks and 400,000 square-feet of retail and office space - but that plan has since been wiped. Instead, a 2.5-mile racetrack, headed by real estate development company Deem Enterprises, will take its place. The massive raceway, said to be a 'game changer' by Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr., is expected to take six to nine years to complete. It will be surrounded by retail businesses and condominiums in the community that is home to beaches, a bustling boardwalk and casinos. 'We're more confident than ever that we have the funds, Small Sr., an Atlantic City native who has been in office since 2019, told NJ Advance Media. '[DEEM] has been vetted, and just getting a $3.4-plus billion project on the ratable base is a complete game changer.' While the mayor, who was embroiled in a child abuse scandal involving his wife and daughter last year, and other government officials are thrilled about the new plan, Atlantic City locals are not happy with it. 'Atlantic City leadership is so desperate that they will support any development offer no matter how stupid it is,' a Facebook user wrote. Another said: 'What a joke! Want to really do something with the land? Dig canals and sell off lots and watch the ratepayers flood in!' 'Building that into a racetrack has to be the dumbest idea in the world,' someone else posted. A resident stressed that the heavily populated and touristy area is already filled with loud noises, so a racetrack would not be ideal. 'If people are bothered by the noise from beach concerts, the noise from the screaming F1 race cars would be unbearable!,' they said. While many are not happy with the development, others appear to be excited for the new track. 'Hell yes,' one simply wrote. Somebody else said: 'Do it!' Another said: 'Excellent' alongside several thumbs up and heart emojis. Meanwhile, a majority of people are not convinced the racetrack will ever be completed. 'They've been talking about it for years... highly doubt it'll ever happen,' wrote a user. 'This is all BS. Every few years this story comes out,' someone else shared. Another posted: 'I'm gonna go ahead and predict this will never happen.' Blatstein told the outlet three years ago that he saw room for growth in the beach city after realizing that other Garden State beach towns have booming populations compared to Atlantic City. 'So what really is needed here is a new plan, a new way of living, a new opportunity for people to come to Atlantic City,' Blatstein said. DEEM Enterprises, a Los Angeles and Atlantic City-based company, first announced the proposal in February of that year. The company has a tentative deal with the city to sell the vacant airfield for $100 million in exchange the real estate developer would donate $15 million for a community center. 'We don't have a recreation center of our town,' Small Sr. explained. 'We use the schools and different things like that.'

Report: Chargers LT Rashawn Slater lands record extension
Report: Chargers LT Rashawn Slater lands record extension

Reuters

timean hour ago

  • Reuters

Report: Chargers LT Rashawn Slater lands record extension

July 27 - Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater has agreed to a record-setting four-year, $114 million extension, ESPN reported on Sunday. The deal includes a record $92 million guaranteed and makes Slater the highest-paid offensive lineman in history at $28.5 million per season, per the report. Tampa Bay Buccaneers left tackle Tristan Wirfs' contract has an average annual salary of $28.12 million and Detroit Lions right tackle Penei Sewell earns $28 million, according to Spotrac. The Chargers confirmed that they agreed to terms on a multi-year contract extension with the two-time Pro Bowl selection but did not provide any financial details. Slater, 26, was a first-round pick (13th overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft and is entering the final year of his rookie deal. His fifth-year club option is worth $19.04 million this season. Slater has started all 51 of his games for the Chargers, including 15 last season. He was limited to just three games in 2022 due to a ruptured biceps tendon. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2024 and was named Second Team All-Pro in 2021. --Field Level Media

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store