Tesla Autopilot plaintiffs seek $345 million over fatal Florida crash
A Tesla vehicle Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. The US Courthouse, the jury election began on July 14, 2025 in connection with allegations on the security of Tesla’s autopilot system in Miami, Florida.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
Tesla In 2019, he faced an important decision in a personal injury case on a deadly autopilot accident, Elon Musk’s car manufacturer for the first time in front of a jury in the Federal Court.
On Thursday, the plaintiff’s lawyers asked the jury to damage approximately $ 345 million. This includes 109 million dollars of compensation and punishing damages of $ 236 million. The hearing in the southern region of Florida began on July 14th.
In 2019, the team focuses on the surrounding area for a deadly accident in Key Largo, Florida. A Tesla owner named George McGee used the model S electric sedan to use the company’s advanced automatic pilot, a partial automatic driving system.
Driving, McGee dropped his mobile phone and mixed it to get it. During the hearing, he said he believed that the advanced autopilot would brake if he were on his way to an obstacle. He accelerated with a junction slightly more than 60 miles per hour and hit an empty -parked car and his owners standing on the other side of his vehicles.
Naibel Benavides, 22 years old, died at the scene of the injuries in the accident. The body was discovered about 75 meters away from the point of effect. His boyfriend Dillon Angulo survived, but he had more than one broken bone, traumatic brain damage and psychological effects.
The plaintiffs included Benavides’s surviving family members and Angulo, who testified at the hearing. While Angulo is looking for compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, Benavides’ ownership suits for false death, pain and pain and other criminal damages.
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs argued that Tesla’s partial automatic driving systems were marketed as autopilot at that time.– There were dangerous defects that need to be known and fixed by the company, and the use of autopilot should have been limited to ways in which the use of autopilot could perform safely.
They also defended this Musk and Tesla made false explanations to customers, shareholders and people, exaggerated the safety benefits and abilities of autopilot, which encouraged the drivers to rely overly rely on.
During the opening arguments and during the hearing, the plaintiff’s lawyers and expert witnesses stated that Musk’s past promises about Autopilot and Tesla’s autonomous vehicle technology. Lawyers said
Tesla lawyers said in the court that the company directly communicates with customers about how to use autopilot and other features, and McGee’s driving will be accused of collision. They said in their closing arguments that Tesla was working to develop technology to save the life of drivers, and that a decision against the home manufacturer would send the wrong message.
The Benavides family had previously sued McGee and settled with it. McGEE was accused of careless driving in October 2019 and did not object to the charges.
Although Tesla typically solved the cases or carries the cases related to autopilot and carrying the cases of the people from the eyes of the people, Judge Beth Bloom at the Miami court wrote that the case could continue to be tried in an order in early July.
“A reasonable jury may see that Tesla has recklessly ignoring human life in order to improve Tesla’s products and maximize the profit.” written This is in order.
The Benavides family and Angulo were in the courtroom for closing discussions on Thursday. They looked away from a video of the accident scene or displayed screens.
– NBC News’ from Maria Piñero Miami reported.
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