Super Lawyers
Rising Stars - Super Lawyer
Rising Stars
New Hampshire Association for JUSTICE
Massachusetts Academy of Trial Lawyers
The National Trial Lawyers - Top 40 Under 40
10 Best - 2017
Top Ten Attorney - NAOPIA
New England Legal Foundation

Tesla Driver on Autopilot Charged with Vehicular Homicide

Granite Law Group

News sources have reported another autopilot car accident. A Washington man was recently charged with vehicular homicide after causing the death of a motorcyclist while driving his Tesla in supervised Full Self-Driving mode. It was reported that the Tesla driver was on his phone at the time of the fatal accident. He did not observe the motorcyclist. Apparently, neither did the Tesla. The motorcyclist was struck, causing him to be ejected from his bike, and then was ran over.

The Tesla driver admitted to investigators that he had one drink before operating his vehicle. However, he passed an on-scene field sobriety test. The investigating officers seemed more concerned with the Tesla driver’s failure to appreciate the motorcyclist due to being distracted by his phone. Had he been paying attention to the road, despite operating in self-drive, he could’ve disengaged the autopilot function. He would’ve been able to take evasive action to avoid the crash.

According to Tesla promotional materials, “under your supervision, Full Self-Driving (Supervised) can drive your Tesla almost anywhere.” Tesla tells operators that the self-driving car “will make lane changes, select forks to follow your navigation route, navigate around other vehicles and objects, and make left and right turns.”

Notwithstanding, Tesla recommends that owners of self-driving cars “use additional caution” and “remain attentive” when utilizing the feature. Tesla adds that vehicles do not become “autonomous” and drivers should not become “complacent.”

It remains unknown why the Tesla technology did not identify the motorcyclist with its camera system and sensors. Better technology would’ve prevented this fatal accident.

Tesla driver using autopilot mode charged with vehicular homicide in death of motorcyclist | Fox Business

/blog/tesla-under-fire-over-fatal-crash-involving-their-model-s-and-a-tractor-trailer-truck/

Client Reviews

Professional and Empathetic Approach. I cannot say enough nice things about attorney Matthew Maalouf and his dedicated team at the Granite Law Group. My teenage son was involved in an accident that left him...

Laura

I Would Definitely Recommend Them. If someone I cared for was going to be going through something like this I would definitely recommend Injury Law Center as your first point of reference. My case went on for a...

Valerie

Professional, Timely and Explained Things Clearly. I am so grateful to Matthew Maalouf and his paralegal Jazmin Rivera for their thorough and effective work on my case. Matt was professional, timely and...

Bonnie

Joe Stayed the Course. I had a car accident that affected my business and my ability to deal with insurance companies was very difficult. Joe stayed the course and we were offered very fair compensation. I...

Matt Morello

Joseph Russo was awesome. I would recommend coming back if something happened again.

Jackie

The Customer Service Received was Remarkable. Attorney Russo is an incredibly strong advocate for the injured. He is professional, thorough, driven and extremely compassionate when it comes to his clients...

Holly

One Word Describes Attorney Joe Russo and His Staff and That is WOW!. Really good lawyers are hard to find, especially in N.H. One word describes Attorney Joe Russo and his staff. and that is WOW! He was always...

Chris T.

They Gave Me a Peace of Mind. After my accident I was in so much pain and so confused that I didn’t know where to go, so I contacted the Injury Law Center. Joe would sit and he would listen and talk to me and...

Deb Brosnan
New hampshire personal injury lawyers

Contact Us

Fill out the form or call us at (603) 883-4100 to schedule your free consultation.