In the first week of April, Tesla settled a lawsuit blaming it for the death of a California man who was using its driver-assistance software in 2018. This settlement averted a trial that could have set the public’s gaze on Tesla’s technology a few months before its planned launch of self-driving taxis.
The Background to the Incident
Wei Lun Huang was an Apple software engineer who lost his life in the unfortunate incident in 2018. His case drew attention from far and near as it concerned Tesla’s Autopilot software. The National Transport Safety Board (NPSB) had to investigate the case due to the public attention it drew.
The settlement with Huang’s children and relatives was private. To further solidify the secrecy of this solution, Tesla approached the court to file a document barring the concerned parties from making the solution terms public.
The Averted Danger
Fortunately, Tesla acted proactively, as testimony in the trial would have exposed the firm’s autonomous driving software to unusual scrutiny. It could have triggered the debate on how safe the technology makes cars or exposes drivers and passengers to undue danger.
Tesla’s Chief Executive, Elon Musk, had predicted hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue through its self-driving software. As expected, investors have used Musk’s claims to justify the firm’s appealing stock market valuation. Despite its recent plunge, Tesla is worth more than any other car manufacturer.
The Big Announcement
Elon Musk informed his followers on X (formerly Twitter) in early April that Tesla was ready to introduce a self-driving car, Robotaxi, in August. Many analysts doubted Tesla’s readiness to release a vehicle carrying passengers about without a driver.
“However, if it turns out to be true, it is a perfect answer to critics who believe the firm has been slow in following up its Model Y and Model 3 sedan sport utility vehicles with newer brands,” says personal injury attorney Larry Eisenberg of Law Office of Eisenberg & Associates.
Back to the Case
Huang met his untimely death when his Tesla Model X veered off the road in Mountain View and smashed into a concrete median barrier. Mr. Huang’s family claimed in their lawsuit that mechanical faults in the Autopilot caused his death. They said the software lacked the technology to stop an accident.
The family also sued California, claiming that the barrier was not suitable and failed to absorb the expected impact of the car.
Arguments and Counter-Arguments
Tesla observed in its legal filings that it had decided to end the years of litigation. It indicated in court papers that it planned to testify that Huang was playing a video game on his cell phone when the unfortunate incident happened. However, Huang’s family attorneys vehemently denied such a claim.
The Limitations of the Software
Although the carmaker calls the novel software “Autopilot” and describes it as an improvement on the Full Self-Driving version, the two systems do not make a vehicle entirely independent. While the systems can accelerate, keep vehicles in their lanes, brake, and perform other roles to varying degrees, drivers must be proactively engaged and ready to intervene if anything goes wrong.
The carmaker recalled over two million cars in December 2023 for a software update due to pressure from concerned regulators who claimed Tesla had not worked sufficiently to ensure motorists remained attentive when using the software.
Verdict on the Case
The National Transportation Safety Board blamed the two parties after investigating the matter. According to the Agency, Autopilot failed to keep the car in its lane. Also, the car’s collision-avoidance software could not identify a highway barrier.
Conversely, it blamed Mr. Huang for probable distraction. If not, he could have salvaged the situation.
Media Information:
Law Offices of Eisenberg & Associates
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Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 753-1516
