A Tesla car is seen in Santa Monica, California, United States.
Tesla has reached a settlement with the family of an engineer who was killed in a crash involving his Model X in Silicon Valley six years ago, thereby avoiding a trial, as indicated by court documents filed on Monday.
The wrongful death suit, scheduled for a jury trial next week, accused Tesla of failing to uphold its marketing promises regarding driver-assistance and safety technology in its vehicles.
According to the filings submitted on Monday, Tesla and the family of Wei Lun Huang have agreed to a settlement, with Tesla requesting that the settlement amount be kept confidential.
The original complaint stated that Huang believed the Model X technology would prevent any harm to the driver caused by the vehicle’s failure to maintain safe speeds, stay within marked lanes, avoid obstacles on highways, or avoid collisions with fixed objects or other vehicles while in autopilot mode.
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The lawsuit alleged that while using the autopilot feature on a highway in Mountain View, California, in March 2018, the Model X collided with a concrete median, resulting in fatal injuries to Huang.
In court documents, Huang’s family argued that Tesla was negligent and reckless in both the construction and marketing of the 2017 Model X.
Despite alerts from the Autopilot driver assistance software to keep hands on the steering wheel, US regulators determined that Huang did not have his hands on the wheel at the time of the accident.
Tesla has consistently defended the safety of its vehicles and Autopilot features, emphasizing that drivers must remain attentive despite the assistance provided by the technology.
