Latest news with #MichaelSheehan
Miami Herald
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Fatal Tesla Cybertruck crash triggers lawsuit
The family of a Texas man who died last year in a burning Tesla Cybertruck after a crash is suing the automaker, alleging that safety issues contributed to the fatality. The wrongful death suit appears to be the first against Tesla involving a Cybertruck, Axios reports. Filed June 13 in Harris County, which contains most of Houston, the lawsuit alleges that Michael Sheehan was driving his Cybertruck near Beach City, about 30 miles east of Houston, when his vehicle left the roadway and flipped into a ditch in August 2024. But the lawsuit claims Sheehan was killed not by the crash, but because of being unable to escape a subsequent battery fire. The lawsuit alleges that the design of the Cybertruck's battery pack and the energy-absorbing features that should minimize crash damage contributed to the severity of the damage, that Sheehan was unable to open the doors from the inside once power was lost, and that external door handles didn't work properly. Attorneys also allege that "alternate interior door handles are unreasonably difficult to locate in an emergency." A nearby bar in Mont Belvieu, Texas, that Sheehan's family alleges over-served the driver prior to the crash, has also been named in the lawsuit. The family is seeking more than $1 million in damages. Tesla had not publicly commented on the allegations at the time of publication, nor had courts set a trial date. Months after Sheehan's death, three California teens died when they crashed a Cybertruck and it caught fire. The family of one victim is suing the driver, and the owner of the truck, but not Tesla, Axios notes. There have been no shortage of problems with the Cybertruck. It was the subject of eight recalls in 2024, addressing issues ranging from exterior trim pieces that could fall off while driving, to faulty inverters that could cause a loss of power, to unintended acceleration due to trapped pedals. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is also conducting two investigations into Tesla's driver-assist tech that cover the Cybertruck, along with other Tesla models. Demand for the electric truck has slowed significantly, leading to a backlog of inventory. But this lawsuit will prove whether the Cybertruck's flaws are as dangerous for drivers as they are for Tesla's bottom line. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Auto Blog
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Fatal Tesla Cybertruck crash triggers lawsuit
View post: 2013 Honda Accord Owners: Your Car Might Have An Essential Part That Could Break Wrongful Death Suit May Be First Involving The Electric Truck The family of a Texas man who died last year in a burning Tesla Cybertruck after a crash is suing the automaker, alleging that safety issues contributed to the fatality. The wrongful death suit appears to be the first against Tesla involving a Cybertruck, Axios reports. Filed June 13 in Harris County, which contains most of Houston, the lawsuit alleges that Michael Sheehan was driving his Cybertruck near Beach City, about 30 miles east of Houston, when his vehicle left the roadway and flipped into a ditch in August 2024. But the lawsuit claims Sheehan was killed not by the crash, but because of being unable to escape a subsequent battery fire. 0:03 / 0:09 Rivian R1T delivers on this EV feature that Tesla forgot Watch More Alleged Design Flaws Source: Getty Images The lawsuit alleges that the design of the Cybertruck's battery pack and the energy-absorbing features that should minimize crash damage contributed to the severity of the damage, that Sheehan was unable to open the doors from the inside once power was lost, and that external door handles didn't work properly. Attorneys also allege that 'alternate interior door handles are unreasonably difficult to locate in an emergency.' A nearby bar in Mont Belvieu, Texas, that Sheehan's family alleges over-served the driver prior to the crash, has also been named in the lawsuit. The family is seeking more than $1 million in damages. Tesla had not publicly commented on the allegations at the time of publication, nor had courts set a trial date. Cybertruck Problems Months after Sheehan's death, three California teens died when they crashed a Cybertruck and it caught fire. The family of one victim is suing the driver, and the owner of the truck, but not Tesla, Axios notes. There have been no shortage of problems with the Cybertruck. It was the subject of eight recalls in 2024, addressing issues ranging from exterior trim pieces that could fall off while driving, to faulty inverters that could cause a loss of power, to unintended acceleration due to trapped pedals. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is also conducting two investigations into Tesla's driver-assist tech that cover the Cybertruck, along with other Tesla models. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Demand for the electric truck has slowed significantly, leading to a backlog of inventory. But this lawsuit will prove whether the Cybertruck's flaws are as dangerous for drivers as they are for Tesla's bottom line. About the Author Stephen Edelstein View Profile
Axios
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Axios
Houston-area family sues Tesla over deadly Cybertruck inferno
The family of a Houston-area man who last year died in a burning Tesla Cybertruck after a crash is suing the automaker over what it says are defective safety designs. The big picture: The wrongful death suit appears to be the first against Tesla involving a Cybertruck, but the company is facing several others related to its autopilot technology in different models. Driving the news: The lawsuit, filed June 13 in Harris County, alleges Michael Sheehan was driving his Cybertruck near Beach City, about 30 miles east of Houston, when his vehicle left the roadway and flipped into a ditch in August 2024. Zoom in: The family says the crash was survivable but that Sheehan died when the truck's batteries ignited and he became trapped in the mangled wreckage. The lawsuit points to Tesla's battery design and energy-absorbing features when the truck is involved in a crash. Attorneys also allege Sheehan was unable to open the doors from the inside once power was lost and that the outdoor handles didn't open properly. Plus, they say "alternate interior door handles are unreasonably difficult to locate in an emergency." The lawsuit is also against a nearby bar in Mont Belvieu that the family alleges overserved Sheehan prior to the crash. The other side: Tesla has not formally responded to the lawsuit and did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Axios.
Irish Independent
23-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Bed sits are being proposed as a fix for New Ross' vacant premises issue, but not all agree
However, there was some opposition to that argument with Councillor Michael Sheehan pushing for an increase in commercial activity in New Ross. 'We need to protect the retail town core, it's wide open for any kind of development; if someone comes in and turns a retail unit into a one-bed apartment it's gone, there's never going to be a commercial entity in there again,' he contested. Cllr John Fleming disagreed. 'New Ross has the highest number of vacant commercial properties in the county,' he began. 'Rather than have no-one in these old buildings and leave them derelict, we should put people into them, bring some energy into the town centre, have people in there spending money.' 'Retail probably can't save the town centre at this point,' agreed Cllr Marty Murphy. 'Any bit of life in the town is better than dereliction; running a small shop in a small town is almost impossible now.' Regarding the possible introduction of new businesses in the town, Cllr Pat Barden noted that the council had a town regeneration officer who was 'working hard' to bring life back into New Ross. 'But we don't have people living in our town centre and that's the biggest problem we have,' he added. 'If we want people living in the towns we're going to have to incentivise using the buildings over the shops. There's 250 premises between the streets in the centre of this town with absolutely nothing happening in them – some are derelict but some are shops which have two or three storeys empty above them. 'The regeneration officer is going to have to put beds in those rooms.' But Cllr Sheehan was not for turning. 'It's better to have something than nothing but developers are going to rock in here and they know what the minimum size is for a bedsit,' he said. 'They're going to put them everywhere, cram people in like sardines, get as many in as possible. It's a lot easier to turn a ground floor space into a €2,000 a month apartment than go out and hustle for a commercial entity. If we don't protect the town core all we're going to have is bedsits and no shops. 'It's already happening in Charles St, we have four functioning businesses there, and there's nothing attractive about it.' Striking a positive note, Cllr Barden reminded his colleagues that, despite their concerns, New Ross was on an upward trajectory. 'We shouldn't lose sight of what's happening in the town, I was talking to a man today who was back here for the first time in ten years and he couldn't believe it was the same place, he said it's changed so much, it looks absolutely brilliant. So we've done an awful lot right, it's really on the up.' Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
‘Defectively designed' Cybertruck burned so hot in crash that the driver's bones literally disintegrated: lawsuit
A Tesla Cybertruck owner in Texas was unable to escape after rolling it into a ditch last year, experiencing an unthinkable demise as the batteries powering the $100,000 stainless steel SUV burst into flames with such intensity the helpless driver's skeletal system literally disintegrated, his family says. Michael Sheehan, 47, "burned to death at 5,000°F – a fire so hot his bones experienced thermal fracture," according to a gut-wrenching lawsuit his widow and parents have now filed against the electric auto manufacturer headed up by billionaire Elon Musk. "He was eight inches shorter in length than he was before he burned," attorney S. Scott West told The Independent. "That's thermal fracture." But Sheehan, who was the first-ever person to perish in a Cybertruck wreck since the model hit the market in November 2023, didn't have to die, said West, who worked as an industrial design engineer before becoming a lawyer. The suit by Sheehan's family says the single-vehicle crash would have normally been survivable, but that the "defectively designed" Cybertruck instead trapped the registered nurse inside and incinerated him alive. "Every religion has a version of hell, and every version of hell has fire," West said. "It is the most excruciating and longest torture of any death. Whether it's steam or fire or electrical, the nerves are literally exposed to everything. It's horrific. If you've ever been to a hospital burn unit, you'll hear patients begging the doctors to let them die because the pain is so bad." In the 10 months following Sheehan's ghastly death, West said he has been trying to reach a settlement with Tesla to avoid a lawsuit, he explained. However, West said, talks eventually collapsed and "we needed to move forward, for the family." A Tesla spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. On April 25, 2024, Sheehan purchased a brand-new Cybertruck from a Tesla showroom in the Houston suburb of Cypress, Texas, according to his family's complaint, which was filed June 13 in Harris County District Court. Just 102 days later, the complaint says Sheehan was driving home when the Cybertruck 'left the road' and struck a large concrete culvert, after which the vehicle's 'hyper volatile' battery system went into 'thermal runaway' – a chain reaction of short-circuits ultimately resulting in uncontrollable temperature escalation – and caught fire. Once power was lost, it was impossible for Sheehan to open the Cybertruck's electrically operated doors in the normal way, the complaint goes on, highlighting a major issue that has similarly doomed others riding in Teslas. The external door handles also failed to work, and the emergency manual door release handles within the Cybertruck are 'unreasonably difficult to locate in an emergency,' the complaint states. 'Not only are you riding on top of 3,000 pounds of batteries, this 'spaceship' design is a double-edged sword,' West told The Independent, alleging that aesthetics took priority over functionality at Tesla when designing the Cybertruck. Among other shortcomings, Tesla could have chosen to use safer battery cells with slower thermal propagation, which are readily available, thus giving occupants more time to get out after a crash, according to the Sheehan family's complaint. Doing so would not have impacted the vehicle's utility, and alternative designs 'were both economically and technologically feasible,' it says. The filing also alleges Cybertrucks are 'not crashworthy,' due to the proximity of drive motors to battery modules, the faulty design of energy-absorbing structures in proximity to battery modules, and 'no consideration for movement of components during [a] crash sequence.' Further, the complaint maintains, Tesla provides '[i]nsufficient warnings or training to occupants regarding safe exit procedures post-crash.' 'Michael was a Mensa-level guy, very, very smart,' West said. 'But when Tesla delivered this [Cybertruck] to him, the instructions they gave him were woefully inadequate to handle a situation like this.' West 'felt like an idiot' the first time he ever drove a Tesla, he recalled. 'I couldn't figure out how to turn it on, I sat literally for nine minutes in a rental car parking lot,' West continued. 'That's the eternal factor in human error – it's incumbent upon you as a manufacturer to take extra steps to recognize that [new Tesla owners] need additional training.' West conceded that Sheehan 'had some alcohol in his system' at the time of the crash, which the complaint explicitly acknowledges. Still, he said, 'that shouldn't sign his death warrant.' In fact, it was Tesla's 'gross negligence' that caused Sheehan's untimely demise, according to the complaint. Three months after Sheehan died behind the wheel of his Cybertruck, three college students in Piedmont, California were burned to death in a Cybertruck that veered off the road and slammed into a tree. While one of the occupants was able to make it out alive, the flames were so hot, rescuers were unable to reach the others. In April, USC basketball recruit Alijah Arenas, son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, was placed in an induced coma, largely due to smoke inhalation, when the Cybertruck he was driving caught fire following a crash in Los Angeles. Tesla has issued at least eight recalls for the Cybertruck since its release, over problems ranging from malfunctioning accelerator pedals to faulty windshield wiper motors to body panels that suddenly began to delaminate. Cybertruck sales have struggled, with resale prices cratering, as other marques make large gains in a global electric vehicle market that was once Tesla's to lose. The brand has recently suffered a grievous blow to its image, resulting in plummeting sales and a sinking stock price, following Musk's ill-fated foray into politics, hitching his wagon to President Donald Trump as 'first buddy' and throwing thousands of federal employees out of work as titular leader of the quasi-governmental Department of Government Efficiency. Beyond the Cybertruck, Tesla has faced lawsuits from others who say they were sold a bill of goods that didn't deliver. In December, the family of a California man who was crushed to death behind the wheel of a Tesla Model S in 'full self-driving mode,' sued the manufacturer over its allegedly bogus claims the vehicle could actually operate autonomously. Earlier this year, a Westchester County, New York, man sued Tesla after he claimed to have activated the autopilot feature in his Model Y sedan, which then promptly drove itself into a tree. Michael Sheehan, according to his obituary, enjoyed cooking for his wife and friends, had a passion for zombie movies and was blessed with a 'gentle spirit.' 'Knowing and loving Michael was a true joy,' his obit read. 'He made a profound impact on so many lives. He was unique, authentic, caring, funny and he lived his life unapologetically… Words cannot express the deep sorrow and devastation we feel in losing him.' West hopes the case will put the world's richest man on notice that his company's vehicles are unsafe for everyday use, he told The Independent. 'I'd love for them to put me out of business on Tesla Cybertrucks,' West said. 'There's my challenge to Elon. Put me out of business. Make these vehicles so safe that I don't have to do this anymore.' Sheehan's family is seeking undetermined monetary damages to be determined by a jury.
