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Edited by: TJVNews.com
Tesla, the electric car manufacturer, has reached a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of Walter Huang, an Apple engineer and father of two who tragically lost his life in a fatal crash involving his Model X SUV, according to report on Monday on the CNBC.com web site. The incident, which occurred in 2018 near Mountain View, California, while the vehicle’s Autopilot features were engaged, sparked a lengthy legal battle and garnered widespread attention due to its implications for autonomous driving technology.
The settlement was reached just as jury selection and a trial were commencing in a California Superior court, effectively allowing Tesla to avoid the public airing of evidence and testimonies in what had become a highly-followed case, according to the information provided in the CNBC report. While the terms of the settlement remain undisclosed, the resolution marks a significant development in a legal saga that has spanned several years.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in its investigation of the fatal crash, revealed damning findings in 2020, attributing at least partial blame to Tesla’s technology, alongside potential factors such as driver distraction and problematic road construction, as per the CNBC report. According to the NTSB’s report, Huang had been reportedly engaged with a game on his phone moments before the collision.
Critical to the NTSB’s findings was the revelation that Tesla’s forward collision warning system failed to provide an alert, and its automatic emergency braking system did not activate as Huang’s Model X accelerated into a barrier alongside Highway 101, as was noted in the information contained in the CNBC report. The investigation also highlighted contributing factors such as faded lane markings and the positioning of the highway barrier, also known as a crash attenuator, which may have exacerbated the severity of the collision.
The settlement of the wrongful death lawsuit brings a degree of closure to the Huang family, though it does not mitigate the loss they have endured. Additionally, it raises broader questions about the accountability of autonomous driving technology manufacturers and the ongoing challenges associated with the deployment of such systems on public roads.
The lawsuit, formally known as Sz Huang et al v. Tesla Inc. et al, was filed in a California Superior Court in Santa Clara County, with the Huang family alleging wrongful death and citing alleged safety and design defects in Tesla’s driver assistance systems. As was detailed in the CNBC report, central to their claims were assertions that Tesla’s marketing and social media messaging, including statements from CEO Elon Musk, created a false sense of security regarding the capabilities of Autopilot, leading drivers to believe that they could rely on the system without maintaining constant vigilance on the road.
Court filings revealed internal Tesla communications where executives and engineers discussed becoming complacent while driving with Autopilot engaged, engaging in activities such as reading emails and checking phones despite the need for driver supervision. CNBC reported that these revelations shed light on potential lapses in Tesla’s internal safety culture and raised concerns about the company’s approach to promoting and implementing autonomous driving technology.
The civil jury trial, which was scheduled to begin this week in a San Jose courthouse, was averted by the settlement reached between Tesla and the Huang family. The terms of the settlement, including the amount agreed upon, have been sealed from public view by Tesla.
