Lawsuit alleges Tesla technology cause of fatal accident

Vehicle accidents are sadly nothing new or even unusual to residents in Florida. However, it is important for people to not just blindly accept these events but instead to ensure that they are their family members are properly compensated if an accident was caused by another person’s negligence. The same is true when an accident may have been caused by a company’s negligence or the failure of some technology or component of a vehicle. 

An example of a situation that may warrant this type of proactive steps can be seen in a case involving a crash between a semi-truck and a passenger car equipped with some autonomous driving capabilities. As reported by WPBF.com, the sedan was being operated by the human driver in Delray Beach. A tractor-trailer was approaching an intersection marked with a stop sign but the truck driver did not obey the stop sign and, instead, continued driving through the intersection into the path of the sedan.

Records show that 10 seconds prior to colliding with the truck, the human driver of the sedan engaged the autopilot feature of his vehicle. This feature is designed to react more effectively, quickly and efficiently to situations than humans. One aspect of this feature that is marketed by the manufacturer is the ability to stop in order to avoid collisions.

The sedan never stopped and its top was sheared off as it went underneath the truck. The occupant, a 50-year-old man, died in the incident. His family has initiated a lawsuit against the manufacturer of his vehicle due to the inaction of the autopilot system.