A man injured in T-bone crash claims other driver ‘unreasonably relied’ on autonomous features.
A lawsuit filed in November by a Portland-area man claims he was injured by a Tesla in self-driving mode that blew through a stop sign. It’s one of the first such lawsuits claiming the electric car manufacturer’s automated technology poses life-threatening risks, The Oregonian reported.
Michael Ward, whose car was T-boned at a stop sign in Clackamas County, is seeking $745,000 in damages. Ward suffered fractures to his face, teeth and spine.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Oregon Highway 212 and Southeast Sunnyside Road. According to his lawsuit, Ward was traveling with the flow of traffic and had the right-of-way when he was struck by a Tesla driven by Ngoc Phuong Anh Dinh, who could not be reached by the newspaper for comment.
The lawsuit claims Dinh was at fault in the crash for unreasonably relying on autonomous vehicle technology and doesn’t name Tesla as a defendant. The company requires drivers using driver-assistance features to keep their hands on the steering wheel and their gaze on the road. The Austin-based automaker did not respond to a request for comment.
According to the lawsuit, Dinh’s 2021 Tesla was traveling rapidly when it struck Ward’s 2021 Hyundai, propelling the Hyundai across a center median and into oncoming traffic. The Hyundai was totaled and Ward was taken by ambulance to Oregon Health & Science University.
Teslas come standard with Autopilot mode, which allows a car to steer itself on well-marked roads. Full Self-Driving mode is offered as an add-on and enables cars to steer, accelerate and brake on a variety of roads.
The newspaper identified three other lawsuits in Oregon and many more around the country involving Teslas, which is among a growing number of companies to equip their vehicles with self-driving technology. One was filed earlier this year by a Beaverton man whose Tesla Model 3 failed to recognize a curb at a Fred Meyer store, requiring a $713 wheel replacement.
The other two suits were filed in 2021. In one, a pedestrian in Washington County was injured when a Tesla suddenly switched to automatic drive mode and operated “erratically” before striking the man. The man sought $342,000 in damages and the suit was settled out of court. In the other lawsuit, a former Portland resident sued for a quarter-million dollars after he claims his Tesla suddenly made a 180-degree turn and slammed into a barrier. The man, who represented himself, dropped the claim when the matter was sent to arbitration.
A 2023 report by the Washington Post found that eight deaths nationwide have been linked to Teslas in Autopilot mode when it shouldn’t have been enabled. An additional four crashes are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for possible errors with Tesla’s Full Self-Driving mode.
Also last week, three people were killed and a fourth person was injured in northern California in a crash involving a Tesla Cybertruck. Officials in Piedmont, Calif., believe speed was a factor in the incident.
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