Tesla fined over $240 million in fatal autopilot crash case
The crash, which occurred in Key Largo, killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and severely injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo. The Tesla Model S involved in the incident was reportedly operating on Autopilot when it failed to respond to a T-intersection at the end of a road. The driver of the vehicle, George McGee, admitted to being distracted by his phone at the time of the crash. Although the jury found McGee primarily responsible, it determined that Tesla shared 33% of the blame.
Jurors concluded that Tesla's Autopilot technology failed to alert the driver or prevent the crash and should not have allowed operation on non-highway roads like the one where the accident occurred. They awarded approximately $243 million in total damages, including about $200 million in punitive damages and $43 million in compensatory damages. Tesla is responsible for roughly $42.6 million of the total sum.
The verdict is especially significant as Tesla faces growing questions about the safety and marketing of its driver-assist systems. During the trial, the plaintiffs argued that Tesla overstated the capabilities of Autopilot and failed to ensure that data relevant to the crash was properly disclosed. Expert testimony revealed the company had access to telemetry and video data it initially denied possessing.
Tesla said it would appeal the verdict, citing a pretrial agreement that may limit punitive damages to three times the compensatory amount. The company maintains that Autopilot is designed to assist attentive drivers and that responsibility ultimately remains with the person behind the wheel.
The ruling comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk pushes forward with plans to launch a driverless taxi service in multiple US cities. The company has recently stepped up public messaging around the safety and reliability of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology.
This landmark decision could influence future legal battles involving semi-autonomous driving systems and raises broader concerns over the regulation and deployment of such technologies on public roads.
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