After a fatal accident involving a Tesla Model 3, the estate of the deceased driver is suing the electric car manufacturer and a workshop employee. The suspension of the electric car failed, although the vehicle was only a few days in the workshop. Both the company and the workshop employee acted negligently and should each pay $30,000 in damages, the plaintiffs demand.
In the Florida accident in September 2021, the 20-year-old driver and a 19-year-old passenger died after the vehicle’s underbody hit a speed bump. The electric car went out of control and burst into flames. Sparks flew when the Tesla Model 3 was placed on the threshold, which apparently ignited the batteries.
The US traffic safety agency NTSB investigated the incident and preliminary report submitted. After evaluating the so-called EDR (Event Data Recorder), with which the last five seconds of the journey can be traced, the electric car was traveling at up to 90 miles per hour (almost 145 km/h) at the time of the accident; the driver did not apply the brakes. The residential area has a speed limit of 30 miles per hour.
Excessive speed over a speed bump
The local station Local10 displays a video from the dashcam of another vehicle. In just a few seconds, you can see a rapid overtaking manoeuvre, driving over a yellow traffic light and the accident, including sparks and a collision with two trees. Once lit, lithium-ion batteries can hardly be extinguished permanently. In this case, too, the batteries ignited again while the fire brigade was still on site, reports Local 10.
Tesla Model 3 bursts into flames in crash
TV report about the Tesla accident
Just four days before the accident, the electric car was at a Tesla dealership due to steering and suspension problems. Therefore, a workshop employee is also being sued. According to the lawsuit, the workshop employee was negligent in inspecting the vehicle, while Tesla, as the manufacturer, is held responsible for the design of the electric car and its safe construction.
Front suspension recall
Tesla already recalled around half a million Tesla Model 3 and Model S at the end of last year. Reasons for this were problems with trunk lids and rear view cameras, not with the suspension. However, according to the US Transportation Safety Administration in October 2021 nearly 2,800 Tesla Model 3s recalledwhere the front suspension wishbone was not properly secured during production. Whether the vehicle involved in the accident is one of them is not clear from the lawsuit.
The procedure is called Mirta Garcia v. Tesla and Ignacio Socorro and is pending in the Circuit Court of Broward County, Florida, Case No. CACE-22-002046.
(fds)