Tesla secretly settled a fatal crash involving Autopilot ahead of the jury's verdict (2 photos)

Tesla settles Autopilot crash

Tesla has reached a confidential settlement in a 2019 crash involving its Autopilot system. The case was settled a month before trial, after four years of litigation. The settlement follows a $329 million verdict in a similar incident in Florida.

The circumstances of the accident

In August 2019, a driver of a Ford Explorer Sport Trac was struck from behind by another driver who was driving a Tesla Model 3 with Autopilot engaged. The impact sent the Ford out of control, overturned, and the driver’s 15-year-old son, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle and killed. Tesla quietly settled the lawsuit a few weeks before the trial began.

Accident Details

The Tesla driver, Romeo Yalung, was traveling 69 mph in the third lane of Interstate 880 in California. Video from the electric vehicle shows the Ford driver, Benjamin Escudero, signaling and moving into the same lane ahead. Neither Yalung nor the Tesla, which was on Autopilot, slowed to avoid a collision with the Ford.

The parties to the lawsuit and the course of the case

The lawsuit involved several parties: not only Tesla and Yalung, but also Yalung’s wife, who was in the passenger seat at the time of the accident. For four years, Judge Rebecca Everson had the opportunity to dismiss the case, but she allowed it to continue. Now, a month before trial, Tesla has reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount.

The context of the Autopilot court rulings

This decision may seem surprising, given the circumstances. Tesla has a predominantly winning record in court when it comes to lawsuits related to Autopilot or Full Self-Driving. Juries and judges have generally found that the person behind the wheel is responsible for the driving, not Tesla. Furthermore, the video of the tragic accident certainly raises questions about Mr. Yalung’s care.



Previous Florida Verdict

The settlement comes after a Florida jury found Tesla partially liable for another fatal Autopilot crash. In that case, the Tesla driver collided with two people on the side of the road, admitted to police that he was not paying attention at the time of the crash, and claimed he was not paying attention at the time of the crash. Despite that, the jury awarded the plaintiffs $242 million.

Possible Reasons for the Settlement

Tesla is now appealing that verdict, but another defeat in court could be damaging for the company. The settlement of this case in California may have been a calculated move to avoid the risk of a similar outcome happening again.

The situation highlights the complexity of dividing liability between drivers and manufacturers of autonomous driving technologies. While courts have often recognized the primacy of driver attention, the large amounts awarded in previous cases set a precedent that could influence future decisions by companies in litigation. Future cases will likely continue to define the boundaries of legal liability for semi-autonomous systems.