— A Tesla Autopilot crash lawsuit claims a 2016 Model X driver was killed because Autopilot failed to prevent the vehicle from making a curve in the road.
The wrongful death lawsuit involves South Carolina Tesla owner William Alan Hensley, 34. Filed by his wife, the lawsuit says Mr. Hensley was driving the 2016 Tesla Model X when it crashed at about 6:30 a.m. on October 12, 2023.
Traveling on Twelve Bridges Road in Sumter, South Carolina, the lawsuit says the Model X was traveling in a light mist when it went through a curve, "continued traveling straight at a consistent speed, ultimately veering off the roadway, striking multiple trees before overturning and combusting into flames."
Although the plaintiff says Mr. Hensley was wearing a seat belt, he was killed when he was ejected from the Tesla as it overturned. The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma.
The lawsuit blames the crash on Tesla's Autopilot system that supposedly "failed to recognize and/or detect the bend in the road and failed to adjust its speed or direction."
The Tesla lawsuit admits the 2016 Tesla Model X is known as an SAE Level 2 vehicle equipped with a driver-assistance system that can control steering and speed simultaneously but requires continuous human supervision, "with the driver retaining responsibility for monitoring the roadway and for safe operation of the vehicle at all times."
"At all relevant times, the Decedent’s Tesla vehicle was equipped with driver-assistance features that fall within SAE Level 2, meaning the system required continuous driver supervision and did not operate as an autonomous or self-driving vehicle." — Tesla wrongful death lawsuit
According to the lawsuit, the driver was killed because the Autopilot system failed to detect the curve in the road and failed to control the speed and direction of the Model X.
And even though the Tesla lawsuit says the 2016 Model X requires human supervision and depends on "continuous driver supervision," the plaintiff argues Tesla misled Mr. Hensley and other owners that they could "turn their thoughts and their eyes elsewhere."
The Tesla Autopilot crash lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina: Jonee Lavern Hensley v. Tesla, Inc.
