Tesla, the company led by Elon Musk, has reached an out-of-court settlement with the family of a man who tragically lost his life in an accident while driving a Model X.
In 2018, Walter Huang, a 38-year-old Apple engineer, was driving a Tesla Model X, believing it was a self-driving and fully autonomous vehicle. Under this belief, he relinquished control of the vehicle and engaged in a video game. The vehicle then veered off course and collided with a sidewalk at 70 mph, killing Huang. The accident led to numerous questions and intense scrutiny regarding the safety and functionality of semi-autonomous driving technology. The tragic accident occurred near San Francisco.
Out-of-Court Settlement Reached by Tesla For 2019 Model X Fatal Crash
Tesla settled the lawsuit just before the commencement of the court case. Musk had earlier contended that Tesla would not succumb to any unjust lawsuit, even if it lost the case. However, in this instance, Tesla stated that it had agreed to a settlement to avoid the lengthy process of litigation. Initially, Tesla contended that the occupant of the Model X had misused the system by playing video games at the time of the accident. Tesla also added that the occupant was not holding the steering wheel and had ignored repeated warning messages to return to the car controls.
The family of Walter Huang, who died in the accident, filed the lawsuit in 2019, accusing Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, of negligence and causing wrongful death. The lawsuit also accused Tesla of exaggerating the capabilities of the Model X’s self-driving technology. This led to a false sense of security and made drivers less vigilant and even careless while driving.
In this case, Walter Huang had activated Tesla’s Autopilot feature and was playing a video game on his iPhone while his car was traveling at a very high speed. This is one of numerous instances where Tesla’s autonomous vehicles were involved in accidents and even fatalities.
Such incidents have raised questions about Musk’s claims regarding the capabilities of autonomous technology. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has investigated numerous crashes involving Tesla’s automated driving systems. Incidentally, Tesla won a case in 2019 regarding misperceptions about its Autopilot feature.
Despite its claims, Tesla has yet to develop a fully automated vehicle, and its Autopilot system is merely an add-on that assists drivers in matching speed to traffic and remaining in a lane. However, it requires a fully attentive driver at the wheel.
Also Read: Elon Musk: AI Chatbot ‘Grok 2’ Enters Training to Exceed Expectations
