Tesla wins first trial regarding fatal car crash involving Autopilot function

Carmaker Tesla won the first US trial on October 31 over allegations that its Autopilot driver assistant feature led to a death.

As reported by Reuters, the outcome marks a major victory for the automaker as it faces several other lawsuits and federal investigations related to the same technology.

The case involved a 2019 car crash in which the driver was killed and two passengers seriously injured, including a then-8-year-old boy who was disemboweled, court documents show. The plaintiffs argued that the Autopilot function was activated and caused the accident as the vehicle suddenly veered off a highway at 105 km/h and crashed into a palm tree, bursting into flames within seconds. They asked the jury for a $400 million compensation plus punitive damages.

Tesla denied liability, saying the driver consumed alcohol before getting behind the wheel, further arguing that it was unclear whether Autopilot was engaged at the time of the crash.

The publication recalls that Tesla won an earlier trial in Los Angeles in April with a strategy of saying it tells drivers that its technology requires human monitoring, despite the "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving" names.