A THIRD LAWSUIT REGARDING a person involved in a deadly Telsa Cybertruck crash in Piedmont in 2024 has been filed against the company.
A college student who was the only survivor of the fiery crash filed a civil lawsuit against Tesla last week, according to Alameda County Superior Court records.
Jordan Miller was in the front passenger seat, with a friend driving and two others in the back seat, when the truck crashed into a tree on the night of Nov. 27.
The truck caught fire and a witness had a hard time breaking open the truck’s windows, according to the civil complaint.
Three out of four of its occupants died before they could be pulled from the wreckage. Miller was hospitalized with severe injuries and put into a medically induced coma for five days, according to the San Francisco-based law firm representing him, The Veen Firm.
Miller’s lawyers said in a statement that he suffered burns to his lungs and major burns on his leg and hand that required skin grafts. He also had four fractured vertebrae, according to the law firm.
The suit alleges the design of the Cybertruck was known to be inherently dangerous because it does not have any mechanical door handles on the outside, instead relying on an electrical system to power a button that opens them, which the suit alleged was inoperable after the crash.
“He [Jordan Miller] couldn’t open the doors. No handles. The buttons weren’t working. … That is a design problem.”
Annie Wu, one of Miller’s attorneys
Annie Wu, one of Miller’s attorneys, said the door design delayed an attempt to rescue those stuck inside.
“A friend was right there within seconds,” said Wu. “He couldn’t open the doors. No handles. The buttons weren’t working. Jordan was trapped in a burning vehicle when he didn’t have to be. That is a design problem.”
The suit seeks to hold Tesla responsible for negligence, design defects, failure to warn, and failure to recall.
An email seeking comment from Tesla Monday was not immediately returned.
The four college students in the Cybertruck were 2023 graduates of Piedmont High School who were home visiting for Thanksgiving.
Soren Dixon, 19, Jack Nelson, 20, and Krysta Tsukahara, 19 were all killed in the crash, which occurred on Hampton Road.
The suit also names as defendants the estate of Dixon, who was driving the truck, and the estate of Charles Patterson, who the suit alleges owned the vehicle and gave Dixon permission to drive it.
The complaint cited as evidence of negligence another fatal Cybertruck crash in Texas earlier that year and 10 safety recalls from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration since the Cybertruck launched in 2023, as well as 99 complaints to regulators about safety issues, including about the vehicle’s electrical system.
Anthony Label, another attorney representing Miller, said the Cybertruck’s extra strong windows, which the company has advertised as a feature, were another way the company was taking risks with safety.
“When you design a vehicle with no mechanical way to open the doors from the outside, you are betting the electronics will work in every scenario, including a high-speed crash followed by a fire,” Label said in a statement. “Someone was there to help immediately. He couldn’t get in. This lawsuit is about what Tesla knew and what Tesla designed.”
The families of Tsukahara and Nelson have filed their own lawsuits on similar grounds. Tsukahara’s family’s suit alleges she survived the crash without injuries but was killed by smoke and the fire in the truck when she was trapped inside.