Tesla to pay $243M for deadly 2019 Florida Keys accident
The accident occurred at a T-intersection after sundown in the Florida Keys in 2019 when the Tesla did not stop and rammed a parked SUV.
The collision killed Naibel Benavides Leon, 20, as she stood next to the SUV. Her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, was injured.
The Miami jury granted a $43 million award for compensatory damages for pain and suffering and another $200 million for punitive damages arising from the vehicular accident that occurred in the Florida Keys, NBC News reported.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs successfully argued Tesla officials overestimated the capabilities of the autopilot program in the Tesla Model S sedan that the defendant was driving.
The jury determined the plaintiff's pain and suffering merited a total of $129 million in compensatory damages, but Tesla only pays a third of that amount.
The jury assigned one-third of the blame to Tesla and two-thirds to the driver, who said he was distracted while reaching for his cell phone when the accident occurred.
The motorist was sued separately from Tesla and was not a party to the federal lawsuit that the jury decided on Friday.
U.S. District Court of Southern Florida Judge Beth Bloom accepted the jury's verdict and said she will order Tesla to pay the judgment.
The jury of eight found Tesla was partly liable because the vehicle's autopilot system did not brake in time to prevent the deadly accident.
Officials for Elon Musk-owned and publicly traded electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla said they will appeal the jury's verdict.
"Today's verdict is wrong and only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla's and the entire industry's efforts to develop and implement life-saving technology," they said in a prepared statement.
"We plan to appeal given the substantial errors of law and irregularities at trial."
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