Tesla Sued for Passenger Death

Jan. 10, 2019
Chicago law firm Corboy & Demetrio said on Tuesday it filed a lawsuit against electric carmaker Tesla alleging that its 2014 Model S sedan had a defective battery pack that caused the death of a passenger in an accident last year.

Jan. 10, 2019—Chicago law firm Corboy & Demetrio said on Tuesday it filed a lawsuit against electric carmaker Tesla alleging that its 2014 Model S sedan had a defective battery pack that caused the death of an 18-year old passenger in an accident last year, reported CNBC.

Last May, a Tesla driven by Barrett Riley with passenger Edgar Monserratt Martinez crashed into a concrete wall and erupted in flames in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., killing both the teenagers.

Less than two months before the crash, Riley's parents had a limiter installed at a Tesla service center to prevent the vehicle from reaching over 85 mph, but it was removed at another Tesla service visit without his parents' knowledge, the law firm said, according to the report. An additional count in the lawsuit alleges Tesla was negligent in the removal of the limiter. 

It added that Riley was driving the vehicle at 116 mph, immediately before the collision. The lawsuit also alleges that Tesla "failed to warn purchasers of its vehicles of the battery's dangerous condition."

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board had said last year it was investigating the crash.

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