Summarised by Centrist
A high-profile lawsuit in the United States centres on 19-year-old design student Krysta Michelle Tsukahara, who died alongside two friends after their Tesla Cybertruck crashed into a tree in Piedmont, California.
The suit alleges Tesla’s battery-powered doors failed when the vehicle lost power, leaving Tsukahara unable to escape. The manual release mechanism was “too difficult to find in an emergency.”
Her parents claim Tesla knew of this design flaw for years but chose not to fix it. “Krysta suffered unimaginable pain and distress because she couldn’t get out,” her father told US media. “This company is worth a trillion dollars, how can you release a machine that’s not safe in so many ways?”
Investigators found the driver, 19-year-old Soren Dixon, had cocaine in his system and a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit. Still, the lawsuit argues Tesla’s door design made survival impossible even for passengers who suffered only minor crash injuries.
Their attorney, Roger Dreyer, said the case is about “truth and accountability,” accusing Tesla of failing to include a “functioning, accessible emergency release.”
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has since opened a separate investigation into similar complaints from Tesla owners who say they could not open the rear doors to rescue passengers, and in some cases had to break windows to reach trapped children.
Editor’s note: Read about a similar incident recently in Germany here.
