Tesla Ordered to Pay $243 Million After Jury Finds Autopilot Partly Responsible for Fatal Crash

A federal jury in Miami has determined that Tesla shares partial responsibility for a 2019 car crash in the Florida Keys that resulted in the death of a pedestrian and serious injury to another person while the vehicle was operating in Autopilot mode. The jury awarded $43 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages to the plaintiffs, with Tesla assigned one-third of the blame and the driver two-thirds. The driver, who was reaching for his cellphone at the time of the incident, was sued separately.

The crash occurred when a Tesla Model S failed to stop at a T-intersection, striking a parked SUV and killing 20-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and injuring her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo. Data presented at trial indicated the vehicle was traveling at 62 miles per hour and did not brake for a stop sign and flashing red light. Plaintiffs argued that Tesla's Autopilot software should have warned the driver and intervened to prevent the crash.

Tesla has stated it plans to appeal the verdict, saying in a statement that, "Today’s verdict is wrong and only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla’s and the entire industry’s efforts to develop and implement life-saving technology. We plan to appeal given the substantial errors of law and irregularities at trial."

During the three-week trial, the plaintiffs' lawyers contended that Tesla had overstated the capabilities of its Autopilot system, leading drivers to become overly reliant on the technology. Brett Schreiber, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, argued that Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, "created an expectation among consumers that Autopilot can perform beyond its limitations."

Tesla maintained that the driver was solely responsible for the crash, emphasizing that no car in 2019 or today would have prevented the incident. The company also highlighted that its Autopilot system requires driver supervision and does not make vehicles fully autonomous, as stated in its owner's manual. The separate case against the driver was settled.

The verdict comes amid ongoing scrutiny from federal and state regulators regarding the safety of Tesla's driver-assistance systems. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration previously identified a "critical safety gap" in Autopilot, linking it to hundreds of collisions, including several fatalities.