Tesla has been named in a lawsuit that was filed seven months after an accident that is claimed to have injured five police officers in Splendora, Montgomery County, Texas.
The officers, through the Buzbee Law Firm and Muery & Ferrell PC, allege that Tesla has not done enough to address fundamental flaws in its “Autopilot” advanced driver assistance system. The suit states that the five officers were injured while they were performing a drug search on a vehicle they had stopped on the side of the Eastex Freeway and claims that all were badly injured.
“Due to the design and manufacturing defects known to Tesla, Tesla’s failure to adequately warn of those defects, and Tesla’s unwillingness to admit or correct such defects, the Autopilot and Tesla’s system safety features failed to detect the officers’ cars or to function in any way to avoid or warn of the hazard and subsequent crash,” lawyers wrote in the lawsuit.
Read Also: Florida Police Release New Video Of Tesla On Autopilot Crashing Into Patrol Car
A lawyer representing the officers, Tony Buzbee, said that accidents such as this one have been happening all over the country. Indeed, Florida police recently released footage of a similar accident that occurred in late August.
“Upon research, what we have discovered is, this is happening all over the country,” Buzbee told KPRC 2 News Houston. “In fact, the government has just recently, talking about in the last 30-60 days, has requested of Tesla to turn over information regarding every crash that has occurred involving the Tesla on autopilot that also involves police officers.”
Tesla has reportedly added the ability to recognize and slow for emergency vehicle lights but is under investigation by federal authorities for the safety of its Autopilot feature. Others have claimed that the system is misleading to consumers.
“You’ve probably seen that Elon Musk and Tesla have proudly touted Teslas on autopilot are safer than your everyday driver, that Tesla’s on autopilot there are fewer accidents than they are otherwise. But what we’ve learned is that this information is misleading,” said Buzbee.
Along with Tesla, Pappas Restaurant is also named in the lawsuit for allegedly overserving the Tesla’s driver, who was arrested on suspicion of intoxication assault following the accident. Counsel for the restaurant said they were investigating the allegations.
The suit is seeking up to $20 million in damages for the multiple injuries, including claimed permanent disabilities.
