Design flaws caused a Tesla Model 3 to suddenly accelerate out of control before it crashed into a utility pole and burst into flames, killing a woman and severely injuring her husband, a lawsuit filed in federal court alleges, per the AP. Another defect with the door handle design thwarted bystanders who were trying to rescue the driver, Jeff Dennis, and his wife, Wendy, from the car, according to the lawsuit filed Friday in US District Court for the Western District of Washington. Wendy Dennis died in the Jan. 7, 2023, crash in Tacoma, Washington. Jeff Dennis suffered severe leg burns and other injuries, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit seeks punitive damages in California since the Dennis' 2018 Model 3 was designed and manufactured there. Tesla also had its headquarters in California at the time before later moving to Texas. Among other financial claims, the lawsuit seeks wrongful death damages for both Jeff Dennis and his late wife's estate. It asks for a jury trial. Tesla doors have been at the center of several crash cases because the battery powering the unlocking mechanism shuts off in case of a crash, and the manual releases that override that system are known for being difficult to find.
Last month, the parents of two California college students killed in a Tesla crash sued the carmaker, saying the students were trapped in the vehicle as it burst into flames because of a design flaw that prevented them from opening the doors. In September, federal regulators opened an investigation into complaints by Tesla drivers of problems with stuck doors. Jeff Dennis also alleges that the vehicle suddenly accelerated and the automatic emergency braking system failed to engage in anticipation of a frontal collision. The lawsuit adds defective battery chemistry and battery pack design unnecessarily increased the risk of a catastrophic fire after the impact.
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