Parents of a college student trapped in a burning Tesla file a lawsuit

Elon Musk’s Tesla was sued on Thursday by the parents of a college student who was killed in a car crash last year, claiming the vehicle’s design made it nearly impossible for their child to get out of the burning car.

Krysta Tsukahara, 19, and her friend, Jack Nelson, 20, who was a passenger in the rear seat, died when the car smashed into a tree in the San Francisco suburb of Piedmont, California, at high speed. The Cybertruck pickup was driven by Soren Dixon, 19, who was reportedly drunk and on drugs.

According to the lawsuit, Tsukahara only received minor injuries from the crash but died from smoke and burns after the Cybertruck’s battery caught fire. The suit claims that she didn’t manage to escape because the manual door releases were too difficult to find, suffering “unimaginable pain and emotional distress.”

Mr. Tsukahara said in an interview that had it not been so difficult to escape the burning Cybertruck, “she’d be alive today.”

The fourth passenger was saved by a friend who was following in another vehicle and smashed Tesla’s window.

The lawsuit claims that Tesla had been aware of its cars’ design flaws for years, but failed to make safety improvements.

"For more than a decade before the crash,” their suit says, “Tesla had repeated and direct notice that its reliance on electronic door systems created a serious risk of entrapment. Owners, bystanders, and first responders documented instances where Tesla occupants survived crash forces but could not escape when electrical power failed and fire ensued.”

Tesla doors have already been at the center of crash cases because its battery powering the unlocking mechanism can get destroyed in a fire, while manual releases are difficult to find.

The company was the first to introduce doors that open or shut with the push of a button, with several other automakers attempting to imitate the design. Manufacturers like Ford Motor, Toyota, and Stellantis, have all introduced similar doors but added various designs to ensure the doors can be opened in the event of a power failure or emergency.

In August, a Florida jury awarded more than $240 million in damages to the family of a student who was killed by a runaway Tesla.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is examining 2021 Tesla Model Y after complaints that its doors can trap people inside. The most common complaint included parents leaving the vehicle to get their children from the back seat – and then being locked out of the car.