Tesla Faces Second Legal Action Regarding Fatal Californian Cybertruck Accident

Tesla is being sued by the family members of another victim who died during a Cybertruck crash in the peaceful community located in California. This marks the second lawsuit filed against the car maker within the past few days claiming a manufacturing defect in their electric truck is responsible for the deaths of the passengers involved in the accident, according to court filings.

Allegations of Pre-Existing Flaws

The parents of Jack Nelson allege that the company that helped Elon Musk achieve billionaire status knew about the flaw for years and could have moved faster to resolve the defect but failed to do so, trapping the occupants trapped amid flames and smoke which ultimately caused their deaths.

"This legal action stems from catastrophic design defects in the Tesla Cybertruck which transformed a manageable accident into a fatal fire," states the legal filing, which was filed on Thursday in Alameda county superior court.

Another Parallel Case

An analogous legal claim was filed against Tesla on Thursday by the family of Krysta Tsukahara, another victim of the crash. Tsukahara, 19, along with 20-year-old Nelson, were traveling in the back of the electric vehicle late last year, with one other passenger and the driver. The vehicle collided with a tree at high speed and ignited into flames, as detailed in a California highway patrol report.

Fatal Conditions

When power to the truck’s electric doors was shuttered by the fire, the passengers were locked inside with no way out. The driver also died. The fourth passenger was extracted from the vehicle after a rescuer broke a window.

"These four individuals in the Cybertruck were dear companions and outstanding individuals, each on the verge of deliver significant impacts to society," the Nelson parents said in a statement. "They were all victims of Tesla’s unsafe design. Their deaths and injuries have devastated everyone who knew them."

Government Probe

The new legal threats to Tesla come just weeks after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the car maker concerning their electronic door mechanisms, designed to sit level with the car's exterior.

The agency is also looking into reports from vehicle owners indicating that after exiting their cars, they could not open back doors to get their children out and occasionally, were forced to smash windows to reach them.

Ongoing Hazard Issues

Tesla door handles have been the focus of multiple accident-related legal cases because the battery powering the unlocking mechanism may fail during fires while the emergency overrides that override that system are difficult to find.

"The emergency manual override for that door was concealed beneath the interior storage compartment positioned low on the door – concealed, unmarked, and nearly impossible to find or operate amid smoke and chaos of a post-crash fire," said the Nelsons. "Consequently, the Cybertruck’s design trapped the young individuals with no practical way to escape."

Previous Legal Precedents

The Cybertruck lawsuits come after multiple instances that have claimed numerous safety issues with Tesla cars. Earlier this year, a court in Florida decided that Tesla must pay millions in restitution to the family of a 22-year-old woman who was killed in an accident involving their car using the autonomous driving feature.