Litigation will continue to be the greatest impediment to the wide scale deployment of self-driving cars. Even if autonomous systems eventually have a proven safety record far superior to human drivers, the deep pockets that companies have versus individuals will provide strong incentives to sue. If America excels at anything, it is lawsuits. It’s America’s most important product.
By human drivers you mean male and non Oriental? Otherwise the model will be riddled with outliers and confounding variables
Highlights from article:
Michael Sheehan, 47, bought the futuristic pickup in April 2024. Just three months later on Aug. 3, the truck veered off-road, slammed into a culvert and burst into flames near Beach City, around 30 miles east of Houston.
“This was a single-vehicle crash,” the petition states. “The crash forces were survivable… except for the fire, ergonomic shortcomings, and deficient crashworthiness.”
The lawsuit says the Cybertruck’s electrically operated doors can’t be opened once power is cut. Exterior handles fail, and the manual release latches inside are “unreasonably difficult to locate in an emergency.”
“Michael was a Mensa-level guy, very, very smart,” West told The Independent.
West acknowledged that Sheehan had alcohol in his system, a fact noted in the complaint. But, he argued, “that shouldn’t sign his death warrant.”
In fact, the lawsuit also targets 3180 Bar, LLC, doing business as The Barn Whiskey Bar, where Sheehan was allegedly overserved on the night of the crash.
Attorneys accuse the bar of continuing to serve Sheehan despite his condition and failing to intervene or provide safe alternatives.
Sheehan, who worked as a registered nurse, was remembered by loved ones as a devoted husband with a “gentle spirit.”
His obituary said he loved cooking for family and friends, was passionate about zombie movies, and lived life “authentically” and “unapologetically.”
Edit: the driver Michael Sheehan sounds gay
SSoooo….. Drunk, single vehicle accident, electric doors. My Corvette has electric doors. If there is no power, you can’t open the doors via the handles. There are levers alongside the bottom outside of the seat you reach down and pull. I am sure the Tesla has some similar system. “Too hard to find”. I find it hard to grasp how aa “mensa level” smart guy can’t find the emergency handles - in a vehicle he’s been driving for at least 6 months. Bet he never even tried them.
THIS is the American bar at its worst.
Suing the bar because they didn’t intervene in the decisions of a super high iq man. Hang the lawyers.
- When hiring for open positions, Tesla considers United States citizens, lawful permanent residents (e.g., green card holders), and foreign applicants with proper work permits (generally those with H-1B visas, which are reserved for workers in specialty occupations who hold a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience). But while visa workers make up just a fraction of the United States labor market, Tesla prefers to hire these candidates over U.S. citizens, as it can pay visa-dependent employees less than American employees performing the same work, a practice in the industry known as “wage theft.” When Tesla does hire U.S. citizens, it disfavors those employees in its employment decisions and terminates them at disproportionate rates compared to their visadependent counterparts.
- Tesla’s hiring and termination practices—which discriminate against U.S. citizens on the basis of their citizenship—violate the Civil Rights Act of 1866, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (“§ 1981”). Plaintiffs seek, on their own behalf, and on behalf of a class of similarly situated individuals, declaratory, injunctive, and other equitable relief, compensatory and punitive damages, including pre- and post-judgment interest, attorneys’ fees, and costs to redress Tesla’s pervasive pattern and practice of citizenship discrimination.
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71325887/taub-v-tesla-inc/
?Isn’t the whole H1-b fiasco the same. I understand numerous companies fire perfectly fine American employees in favour of the low-wage H1-b’s.
Would it have been more accurate if the report had said “The salivating lawyers for the parents of a 19-year-old woman … have filed a lawsuit …”?
Yes - probably disturbingly so. 
Spoiled rich kids in Piedmont
from the article:
While the California Highway Patrol investigators determined that impaired driving and speeding were factors in the Piedmont crash, with the victims having alcohol, cocaine, and other substances in their systems, the Tsukaharas’ attorney believes they have a strong case against Tesla. Dreyer anticipates that the company will attempt to shift blame to the driver but maintains that the vehicle should not have “entombed” the occupants, including his clients’ daughter.
from Gemini:
The Piedmont Cybertruck crash on November 27, 2024, resulted in the deaths of three college students who were home for Thanksgiving break:
Victims
| Victim Name | Age | Role in Vehicle | Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) | Other Substances |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soren Dixon | 19 | Driver | 0.195% (Well over legal limit) | Cocaine, Methamphetamine |
| Krysta Tsukahara | 19 | Passenger (Back Seat) | 0.028% | Cocaine |
| Jack Nelson | 20 | Passenger (Back Seat) | 0.168% | Cocaine |
A fourth passenger, Jordan Miller, was pulled from the burning wreckage by a passerby and survived.
The Alameda County Coroner’s office determined the cause of death for all three victims was asphyxia due to smoke inhalation (or “inhalation of products of combustion”). The impact from the initial crash was not cited as the direct cause of death in the autopsies.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) determined that the primary causes of the crash were a combination of:
- Impaired Driving: Driver Soren Dixon had a BAC of 0.195% (over twice the legal limit for drivers 21 and over) and had both cocaine and methamphetamine in his system.
- Unsafe Speed: The vehicle was traveling at an unsafe speed, causing the driver to lose control.
The families of Krysta Tsukahara and Jack Nelson have filed lawsuits against Tesla, alleging that a design defect in the Cybertruck turned a survivable crash into a fatal one. The lawsuits claim:
- Electronic Door Failure: When the car crashed and lost power, the electronic door-release system failed.
- Inaccessible Manual Release: The backup mechanical release for the rear doors was allegedly hidden, unlabeled, and impractical to locate or use quickly, trapping the occupants inside the burning vehicle.
The lawsuits argue that Krysta Tsukahara and Jack Nelson survived the initial crash but died from smoke inhalation and burns because the vehicle’s design prevented them from escaping.
Just wondering here – if these rich parents (and their well-compensated lawyers) succeed in suing Tesla for Big Bucks, could California State & County then sue the parents for the very high cost of the emergency response necessitated by reckless & illegal behavior on the part of those teenagers? Plus compensatory damages for the public nuisance caused for other drivers by the teenagers’ illegal acts?
Look at the bright side: at least now these coked-up drunks won’t be around to kill anyone else during a cocaine-fueled joyride. Truly a case of FAFO.
More accurately, the cause of death was poor life choices.
“… repeated violations of a settlement agreement the company had entered into after being fined five years ago for discharging groundwater into storm drains without a permit.”
There are genuine environmental issues, and then there are silly paperwork issues created by make-work government employees.
Our Betters have disguised the unemployment created by their de-industrialization by hiring lots of government employees to get in the way while genuine environmental issues are swept under the carpet. An idealistic young woman I know became an environmental inspector … and then quit when she saw what a scam it was. She was particularly upset about a processing plant where there was visible water pollution – but there was no problem because the paperwork was in order.