Buffalo, New York Tesla Autopilot Lawsuit Results

Jed Dietrich, Esq., Recognized as a Best Lawyer and American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys 10 Best Attorney, is Committed to Protecting the Rights of Tesla Autopilot Injury Victims Across Buffalo and Niagara Falls. If You or a Loved One Has Been Injured in a Crash Caused by an Autopilot Defect or Error, Our Experienced Team of Attorneys Could Help You Collect the Evidence You Need to Obtain a Fair Settlement.

Tesla’s Autopilot is a new era of hands-free driving, but regulators have serious concerns about its safety.

Over the course of the past decade, watchdogs have uncovered thousands of consumer complaints related to Autopilot, with reports including instances of phantom braking, unintended acceleration, and defective obstacle detection. More than 1,000 crashes around the world have been traced back to Autopilot.

Tesla has long argued that it cannot be held liable for most Autopilot-related accidents, but a recent series of court rulings and settlements could mean the tide has turned. If you think you could have a case against Tesla, contact the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. today at 716-839-3939 to speak to a Tesla Autopilot injury lawyer in Buffalo and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation.

Tesla’s Autopilot is a type of driver-assistance system.

Even though they make use of similar technologies, a driver-assistance system is not the same thing as a self-driving car. Tesla’s driver-assistance feature, for instance, can help you stay in your lane and parallel park, but you are expected to remain constantly alert and ready to retake the wheel at a moment’s notice. Self-driving cars, in contrast, are fully automated and never require any human input. No vehicle today meets the industry-standard definition for full automation.

Tesla’s own website notes that, “while Autopilot comes standard on every new Tesla vehicle,” this feature does “not make the vehicle autonomous.” This is a significant limitation that may not align with Tesla’s own marketing. Some Autopilot packages, like “Navigate On Autosteer,” are capable of providing an entirely hands-free driving experience. You might know that you have to remain alert, but accidents can happen quickly, leaving you with little time to regain control over the vehicle.

The dangers presented by Autopilot’s limitations are not abstract. Safety regulators have repeatedly raised concerns about Autopilot’s ability to detect and respond to road obstacles. In some cases, Autopilot-equipped Teslas have “ignored” physical hazards on or near the road, including trees, emergency vehicles, and highway barriers. Consumers have also reported instances of unexplained acceleration and sudden, hard braking. These alleged defects are believed to have caused or contributed to thousands of car accidents.

Tesla’s Autopilot has been linked to a number of serious, high-profile collisions.

In a recent article, the Guardian examined a cache of leaked documents that have since been termed the “Tesla Files.” These files indicate that, between 2015 and March 2022, Tesla received thousands of customer complaints related to Autopilot. Owners have reported:

1. More than 2,400 instances of unintended acceleration;
2. Around 1,500 instances of phantom braking, with 139 involving the emergency brake and 383 involving false collision warnings; and
3. About 3,000 unclassified complaints and concerns related to other driver-assistance features.

The Guardian estimates that Autopilot was implicated as a potential factor in at least 1,000 collisions spanning the United States, Canada, and Europe. These accidents have many potential causes, ranging from software limitations to environmental interference and driver inattention.

Some car accident victims have filed personal injury claims and wrongful death lawsuits over suspected Autopilot defects. In the not-so-distant past, Tesla seemed largely immune to consequences. If and when a case moved to trial, its attorneys would almost invariably try shifting liability onto victims, arguing that drivers cannot count on Autopilot to avoid every accident. Many courts accepted this argument, in large part because Tesla, despite what its marketing materials may suggest, never promised that its systems can prevent every accident.

However, the tide may now be changing.

Tesla, for instance, recently settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the estate of a man who was killed in 2021 after his Tesla crashed and caught fire outside of Dayton, Ohio. Several months later, a federal judge in Florida upheld a $243 million verdict in a case involving a 22-year-old woman who was hit by an Autopilot-equipped Tesla.

If you have been injured by Autopilot, you could be entitled to significant compensation.

Automobile makers like Tesla have a legal duty to ensure the cars they sell are safe for their intended purpose. If a feature like Autopilot is defective, whether because of phantom braking, unintended acceleration, or something else, then Tesla could be liable for the cost of any resulting accident. This is often true even in instances where Tesla had no reason to believe that its systems were inherently unsafe.

A recognized U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firm, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has spent decades helping car accident victims assert their rights to a fair recovery. Our experienced team of self-driving car accident lawyers knows what it takes to build a compelling, evidence-based case for compensation, and we have the results to prove it.

Depending on the circumstances of your accident and the severity of your injuries, our team could help you obtain compensation for https://www.calljed.com/types-of-damages-in-a-personal-injury-case.html damages including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Your existing medical bills;
2. The costs of future or anticipated care;
3. Lost income from work;
4. Paid co-pays and deductibles;
5. The vacation time and PTO you used while in recovery;
6. Emotional pain and suffering;
7. Physical pain and suffering;
8. Diminished earning potential;
9. Disfigurement, including scarring; and
10. Wrongful death.

Florida law does not cap damages in most personal injury and product liability claims. This means that you could receive as much money as you need to get back on your feet after a serious accident. However, you cannot afford to wait too long to contact a lawyer. If you delay, critical evidence could go missing or get lost. In a worst-case scenario, the statute of limitations could lapse, potentially preventing you from taking any legal action against Tesla or an at-fault driver.

Do not take chances with your rights: call Jed Dietrich, Esq., today at 716-839-3939 to speak to a Tesla accident lawyer near Buffalo and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at 716-839-3939 so that our aggressive, tenacious, and hardworking personal injury lawyers can fight to obtain the best result for your personal injury claim in Buffalo, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!