MIAMI (AP) – A Miami ju umpire has determined that Elon Musk’s automotive company Tesla will be responsible for some of the fatal crashes in Florida, including autopilot driver assist technology, and will need to pay more than $200 million in punitive damages to the victim.
The federal ju apprentice determined that Tesla is taking important responsibility as its technology has failed and not all responsibility can be placed on reckless drivers. The decision is planning to deploy unmanned taxi services in several cities in the coming months as Musks seeks to convince Americans that their cars are safe enough to drive themselves.
This decision surprises not only the outcome but also the four-year long case in which it has even been brought to justice. Many similar cases against Tesla have been rejected and when it did not happen, they were settled by the company to avoid the spotlight of the trial.
“This will open the floodgates,” said Miguel Cantodio, a car accident lawyer who is not involved in the Tesla case. “A lot of people get involved to come to court.”
The case also included surprising accusations by the deceased, 22-year-old Nybel Benavides Leon, and attorneys for the family of her injured boyfriend, Dillon Anglo. They alleged that Tesla had hidden or lost important evidence, including data and videos recorded seconds before the accident.
Tesla has previously faced criticism for being slow to spit out important data from relatives of other victims in Tesla’s crash. In this case, the plaintiffs showed that Tesla had the evidence for a long time despite repeated denials by hiring experts in forensic data who delved into it. Tesla said he made a mistake after being shown the evidence and honestly didn’t think it was there.
It is not clear how much of a hit Tesla’s reputation for safety the Miami case verdict has made. Tesla has significantly improved its technology since crashing on a dark, rural road in Key Largo, Florida in 2019.
