Three more dead and another federal investigation for Tesla

Three people were killed while riding in a Tesla Model S 2022 while the vehicle was in autopilot mode on May 12. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated a federal investigation to clarify the facts of this fatal accident. It is just the latest federal inquiry into Tesla’s troubled driving system.

The incident took place in Newport Beach, near Los Angeles. According to media reports, the Tesla vehicle hit a curb and completely lost control, crashing into a construction zone. While three workers were injured and their lives are not in danger, the three members of the car died from the violent impact. The vehicle was totaled.

The electric vehicle company has reappeared in the news, not because of Elon Musk’s proposed takeover of Twitter, but because it has been involved in yet another tragic accident. The NHTSA began investigating incidents using autonomous navigation systems in 2016. Since then, the agency has investigated 34 separate cases, with 28 of them focusing on Tesla. In the incidents that have been examined, 14 individuals have died and 15 have been injured. Autopilot has been ruled out in only three.

This isn’t the first time Tesla has been implicated in a dramatic accident with its Autopilot technology. The brand was also involved in another fatal collision in Florida in 2018, but the company justified itself by stating that the driver was not paying attention to the road and had his hands off the steering wheel.

North Carolina officials released a video in 2020 showing a Tesla EV in autopilot mode colliding with a police car. At the time of the crash, the driver claimed to be watching a movie.

Tesla has also been chastised for a “phantom braking issue” that has resulted in more than 350 complaints in the last year.

Tesla states on its website that, while having an automatic navigation system, its vehicles are not fully autonomous and, as a result, require ongoing driver supervision. The business decided to recall more than 50,000 vehicles equipped with a test version of the Full-Self Driving software in February of last year.

These types of events are becoming more and more prevalent as technology advances. If you or a loved one has been injured due to autopilot negligence or has been involved in an accident, please contact Adamson Ahdoot for a free consultation. We can assist you in regaining your peace of mind and navigating the legal system.