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Tesla Inc., the electric vehicle manufacturer led by Elon Musk, is facing a new trial in the United States related to its assisted driving technology Autopilot.
This time, it concerns a civil lawsuit for negligent homicide resulting from an accident that occurred in Key Largo, Florida, as revealed by the agency Reuters.
Federal Judge Beth Bloom of the Southern District of Florida has denied Tesla's motion to dismiss the case, paving the way for a jury trial scheduled for July 14.
The facts of the accident
The case, recorded as Benavides v. Tesla Inc., stems from an accident that occurred on April 25, 2019, when a 2019 Tesla Model S, driven by George McGee, struck two individuals who were next to a parked Chevrolet Tahoe on the shoulder.
The victims were Naibel Benavides León and his then-partner, Dillon Angulo.
According to the complaint, McGee was driving at 62 miles per hour and got distracted while trying to pick up his fallen cellphone from the floor of the vehicle.
During those crucial seconds, the vehicle veered off the road, ignored a stop sign and a red traffic light, and ended up colliding with the truck, which in turn caused it to hit Benavides and Angulo.
Benavides was thrown about 23 meters and died instantly, while Angulo sustained serious injuries.
The core of the demand: Autopilot
The plaintiffs - the estate of Benavides and Angulo - accuse Tesla of design defects and inadequate warnings about the risks associated with its Autopilot system, which was activated at the time of the accident.
In a 98-page decision, Judge Bloom concluded that there is sufficient evidence for the case to proceed.
Although McGee admitted that he was not driving safely, his testimony is crucial.
According to his statement, he expected the Autopilot system to prevent the collision.
This expectation, the judge argues, prevents viewing the driver as solely responsible for the accident.
"The plaintiffs provided sufficient evidence that the autopilot defects were a 'substantial factor' in their injuries," Bloom wrote.
Tesla: Between Warnings and Responsibilities
Tesla has repeatedly defended that Autopilot does not make its vehicles autonomous and that drivers must be "fully attentive" and have their hands on the steering wheel at all times.
The companysustainsthat the functions are designed to assist, not replace, the human driver.
However, one of the key points in the lawsuit is the way Tesla communicates those risks.
The judge observed that the user manuals, accessible only from the touchscreen of the Model S, could make it difficult for users to fully understand the limitations of the system.
This aspect strengthens the accusation of failure to warn, as it suggests that Tesla did not adequately explain the inherent dangers of using Autopilot.
On the other hand, the court dismissed the charges of manufacturing defects and negligent misrepresentation, as it found there was insufficient evidence to support those claims.
A trial with implications beyond Florida
This case not only has legal implications for Tesla, but it also represents part of the increasing public and judicial scrutiny of assisted driving technologies.
The trial could set an important precedent in assessing how much legal responsibility falls on manufacturers when a partially automated system does not perform as expected.
Furthermore, it revives the debate on the very name of the Autopilot system, which critics argue is misleading as it suggests full autonomy capabilities, when in reality it is a Level 2 driver assistance system, according to the classification by the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers.
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