The News & Observer reported today that the father of a teen that was killed in a fiery crash involving a Tesla in Florida is suing the company, claiming that the accident should not have been fatal.
The crash happened in May of 2018 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when Barrett Riley, 18, and his friend, Edgar Monserrat, 18, were driving on Seabreeze Boulevard when he lost control of Barrett’s father’s car. Investigators estimate that the vehicle had been traveling at an estimated speed of 116 miles per hour before crashing the 2014 Tesla Model S into a concrete wall and caught fire.
Also in the vehicle was another teen that was thrown out of the vehicle during the crash. They were hospitalized for injuries sustained in the accident.
This latest suit was filed in Santa Clara County by James and Jenny Riley. The plaintiffs are accusing Tesla of negligence and liability in the death of their son.
The parents of Barrett and Monserrat also filed a civil lawsuit against the automaker in Broward County, Florida, in January of this year. Both suits allege that it was the battery that exploded on impact that caused the two teens to burn to death in the crash.
Tesla maintains that no automobile could withstand a crash traveling at such a high rate of speed.
Due to an earlier speeding incident involving the vehicle, Riley’s father had a device placed on the car that would prevent it from going at speeds higher than 85 miles per hour.
When the car was serviced between March 29th and April 3rd, 2018, at the Tesla dealership in Bahia Beach, mechanics improperly removed the speed governor without the consent of the owner.
A court date hasn’t been set yet.
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