🔗 Share this article

Legal action has been initiated against Tesla by the family members of a further individual killed in an accident involving a Cybertruck in the peaceful community of Piedmont, California. This marks the second lawsuit filed against the car maker within the past few days claiming a manufacturing defect in their electric truck is to blame for the fatalities of those inside involved in the accident, as per legal documents.

Allegations of Known Defects

Jack Nelson's family members allege that the company which assisted Elon Musk become the world’s richest man knew about the flaw for a long time and should have acted more swiftly to fix the problem but failed to do so, trapping the occupants trapped amid flames and thick smoke which ultimately caused their deaths.

"This case arises from catastrophic design defects in the Tesla Cybertruck which transformed a manageable accident into a deadly blaze," states the legal filing, which was filed on Thursday in Alameda county superior court.

Second Similar Lawsuit

A similar suit has been brought against the automaker on Thursday by the parents of Krysta Tsukahara, who also perished in the accident. Tsukahara, 19, and Nelson, 20, were seated in the rear of the Cybertruck on 27 November 2024, accompanied by another individual and the vehicle operator. The vehicle collided with a tree at high speed and caught on fire, according to an official traffic incident document.

Tragic Circumstances

Once the electrical supply to the vehicle's doors was shuttered by the fire, the passengers were locked inside without any means of escape. The operator also perished. The remaining occupant was pulled from the car following the shattering of a window by emergency personnel.

"These four individuals inside the electric truck were dear companions and remarkable people, all poised to making meaningful contributions to society," the Nelson parents declared publicly. "They all suffered of Tesla’s unsafe design. Their tragic loss and harm have devastated everyone who knew them."

Federal Investigation

The new legal threats facing Tesla follow shortly after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiated a formal inquiry regarding the automaker concerning their electronic door mechanisms, which are built to be flush with the body of the vehicle.

The agency is also looking into reports from vehicle owners that said after exiting their cars, they could not open back doors to retrieve their children and, in some cases, had to break the window to gain access.

Recurring Safety Concerns

The vehicle's door mechanisms have been at the center of multiple accident-related legal cases because the battery powering the unlocking mechanism may fail during fires while the emergency overrides that bypass the electronic system are challenging to locate.

"The backup mechanical release for that door was hidden underneath the liner of the map pocket at the bottom of the door – concealed, unmarked, and nearly impossible to find or operate amid smoke and chaos of a post-crash fire," explained the family. "As a result, the vehicle's engineering left Jack and the other occupants without viable means of evacuation."

Prior Court Rulings

The Cybertruck lawsuits follow several others which have alleged various safety problems in Tesla vehicles. In August, a court in Florida decided that Tesla must pay millions in restitution to the relatives of a 22-year-old woman who lost her life by one of its vehicles using the autonomous driving feature.