Piedmont Cybertruck crash victim's family demands answers

Yahoo

24-04-2025

(KRON) — The family of Krysta Michelle Tsukahara, a 19-year-old college student who was killed in a Tesla Cybertruck crash in Piedmont, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Alameda County court.
Four college students were trapped inside the Cybertruck after it crashed and burst into flames at 3 a.m. on Nov. 27, 2024. Soren Dixon, 19, Jack Nelson, 20, and Krysta Tsukahara, 19, died from smoke inhalation and severe burns, according to an autopsy report by the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau.
The lawsuit seeks to uncover more about what led to the deadly collision and to gain access to the Cybertruck. The mangled vehicle has remained unavailable to the family's legal team since the crash occurred, attorneys said.
'Krysta was a beautiful, bright young woman with her whole life ahead of her,' her father, Carl Tsukahara, wrote in a statement released by attorneys. 'We've had to endure not only the loss of our daughter, and our son the loss of his sister, but we have had to suffer through the silence of those who were with her that night. Our family is seeking additional information regarding all aspects of this tragedy.'
Krysta Tsukahara, Nelson, and Dixon were recent graduates of Piedmont High School who were home for Thanksgiving break at the time of the tragedy.
California Highway Patrol investigators released a preliminary report stating that Dixon was driving when the Cybertruck crashed. The CHP report states that a combination of alcohol intoxication, drug impairment, and unsafe speeds caused Dixon to lose control.
Dixon's estate is named as a defendant in the new lawsuit. Charles Patterson, who reportedly owned the Cybertruck, is also named as a defendant.
Krysta Tsukahara was a backseat passenger in the Cybertruck. She was not seriously injured in the impact, but she was trapped inside the vehicle as it burned, attorneys said.
'This young woman suffered the most horrifying death one could imagine. Her death was caused by her inability to get out of the car and being consumed in the fire that engulfed the vehicle,' said attorney Roger Dreyer of Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood Campora. 'The family still doesn't know what the course of events were that evening that led to this crash and why this vehicle caught fire. The family wants and deserves answers to those questions.'
Krysta Tsukahara, a sophomore at Savannah College of Art and Design, had only trace amounts of alcohol in her system when the crash occurred, attorneys said. Dixon had cocaine in his system and a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.195, according to a coroner's report.
'Our clients don't want to speculate as to who is to blame,' Dreyer said. 'They want answers and additional information in order to see who is accountable for this tragedy and who played a role in their daughter's death.'
A fourth college student who was a passenger, 20-year-old Jordan Miller, was the sole survivor. A witness was able to break window using a tree branch and pull him out of the burning Cybertruck.
The witness told CHP investigators, 'I went back to the broken window and yelled for them to try and get out at this window. Krysta tried to come up, sticking her head from the back. I grabbed her arm to try and pull her towards me but she retreated because of the fire.'
Police officers and firefighters attempted to vain to extinguish the flames before Krysta Tsukahara, Nelson, and Dixon died.
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