- Tesla is preparing to defend Autopilot in a jury trial over a deadly 2019 accident.
- A driver using Autopilot failed to stop and slammed into a parked vehicle.
- Both the parked SUV’s owner and another person died as a result of the collision.
A fatal crash in Florida is now the center of a legal battle that could have wide-reaching implications for driver-assistance technology. In April 2019, a Tesla Model S sped through an intersection and collided with a parked SUV. The crash killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and severely injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.
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More than five years later, a jury is being asked to decide whether Tesla’s Autopilot system played a role, or if responsibility rests solely with the driver.
More: Tesla’s Self-Driving Claims Just Sparked A Government Crackdown Across The Atlantic
The driver, George McGee, admitted to officers who responded to the scene that he was using Autopilot incorrectly. “I was driving, I dropped my phone, and looked down,” McGee said. “I ran the stop sign and hit the guy’s car.” He’s already settled with the families of Angulo and Leon. Now, those same families are about to begin a new battle with Tesla in court.
Autopilot on Trial
The case has been simmering for years, according to NPR, but what sets it apart is that a jury, not a judge, will now weigh in on Tesla’s Autopilot and its role in the crash. The plaintiffs argue that McGee believed the car could drive itself and that Autopilot should’ve stopped on its own or at least kept the driver engaged. McGee doesn’t take that view, though. “I was highly aware that was still my responsibility to operate the vehicle safely,” he said to authorities.
Tesla has long defended its position that drivers acknowledge that they’re ultimately in control and responsible behind the wheel. To this point, it’s been highly successful in court based on that argument.
In fact, when this case first made the news back in 2019, it also leaned on McGee’s own account of events that included his inattentiveness. It mentioned that again when defending itself in 2023. “The driver later testified in the litigation he knew Autopilot didn’t make the car self-driving and he was the driver,” it said.
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The trial begins today, July 14, and could set a major precedent either way. Judges have already found that drivers are responsible for driving, even if a system is capable of doing some of the work.
A Potential Turning Point for Automakers
On the flip side, if the jury in this case disagrees and puts liability on Tesla, it could mark a moment where Tesla, and by extension other automakers, have to consider what they’ll do to ensure less legal liability. Regardless of the outcome, the trial could shape how juries and automakers view driver-assist technology in the years to come.
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Credit: NBC 5
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