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A Cybertruck slammed into a tree and a retaining wall in Piedmont on Nov. 27, 2024, killing three college sophomores.
PIEDMONT, Calif. – The only survivor of a fiery 2024 Cybertruck crash in Piedmont has filed a lawsuit against Tesla alleging that the vehicle’s design trapped the occupants inside as it burned.
Latest lawsuit
What we know:
Jordan Miller filed the lawsuit against the automaker in Alameda County Superior Court, joining the families of Krysta Tsukahara, 19, and Jack Nelson, 20, in alleging that Tesla’s electronic door handles and a hard-to-find emergency release contributed to the deadliness of the crash.
Tsukahara and Nelson were killed in the collision, as was the driver, 20-year-old Soren Dixon.
Miller survived only after being pulled from the wreckage by a friend who was following the Cybertruck in another car. The friend said he had to break the Cybertruck’s window with a tree branch after the mangled car’s electronics failed to open the doors.
The friend also said he attempted to save Tsukahara, who initially survived the crash, but he could not reach her before flames engulfed the Cybertruck.
What they’re saying:
“When you design a vehicle with no mechanical way to open the doors from the outside, you are betting the electronics will work in every scenario, including a high-speed crash followed by a fire,” said Miller’s attorney Anthony L. Label. “Someone was there to help immediately. He couldn’t get in. This lawsuit is about what Tesla knew and what Tesla designed.”
Claims of negligence
Miller suffered “catastrophic” injuries in the crash including being put into a five-day induced coma, burns to his airways and lungs, four fractured vertebrae requiring spinal fusion and third-degree burns to his left leg and left hand that required extensive skin grafts.
Dig deeper:
Miller’s lawsuit further alleges Tesla has known about the risk of trapping occupants “for over a decade.” Specifically, the suit brings claims for negligence, design defect, failure to warn, and failure to recall.
The lawsuit also names Dixon’s estate as a defendant. Autopsy reports show that Dixon had alcohol, cocaine, and meth in his system. Tsukahara and Nelson also tested positive for alcohol and cocaine.
Also named as a defendant is Charles Patterson, the owner of the Cybertruck and a relative of Dixon.
The Source: The Veen Firm, previous KTVU reporting
