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Tesla has been hit with one other lawsuit over a lethal post-crash inferno, this time from a Washington state man whose spouse died after his 2018 Mannequin 3 “exploded right into a raging hearth” when an abrupt acceleration despatched it right into a utility pole and left rescuers unable to pry the doorways open.
The federal criticism filed Friday claimed Jeffery and Wendy Dennis had no probability to flee as a result of the sedan’s digital handles died the moment the automobile misplaced energy.
Wendy Dennis died on the scene whereas plaintiff Jeff Dennis suffered catastrophic burns.
The submitting alleges the Mannequin 3 “instantly and quickly accelerated uncontrolled,” surging for roughly 5 seconds earlier than the Jan. 7, 2023 affect in Tacoma.
The crash triggered what the swimsuit calls an “extraordinarily sizzling hearth” that engulfed the cabin and burned for hours.
A number of individuals ran towards the wreck however have been pushed again by flames described as “more and more intense.”
With the handles idled, they may solely “watch helplessly from a distance because the severely injured Jeff and Wendy burned within the inferno.”
The swimsuit says the blast uncovered “the car’s excessive voltage battery pack [containing] 1000’s of extremely explosive batteries” and produced a “hard-to-extinguish hearth” that blocked entry to each occupants.
Attorneys say the blaze grew so quick, “it rapidly turns into too sizzling for rescuers to react successfully.”
Tesla didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The criticism additionally blames faulty acceleration and braking methods, alleging the automated emergency braking by no means activated regardless of an unavoidable collision.
The submitting lands as regulators probe whether or not Tesla doorways entice occupants when low-voltage energy fails — scrutiny fueled by a string of comparable fire-entrapment lawsuits.
In Wisconsin, households sued over a Mannequin S hearth that killed 5 individuals in Verona on Nov. 1, 2024, after they allegedly turned trapped as flames tore via the automobile.
A neighbor who referred to as 911 reported “massive flames” and “massive bangs” and stated she may “hear individuals screaming from inside the car.”
Emergency crews allegedly discovered the doorways inoperable.
Rear-seat passengers had solely a hidden mechanical launch buried below carpeting — a mechanism the lawsuit says couldn’t be present in smoke and darkness. Not one of the 5 occupants escaped.
The Bauer household claims the victims survived the preliminary crash however died as a result of Tesla ignored years of warnings that digital releases fail after energy loss.
The Dane County Sheriff’s Workplace stated that “street circumstances, extra velocity, and impaired driving” all contributed to the collision.
The motive force of the automobile and all the passengers have been legally drunk on the time of the crash, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
In California, dad and mom of 21-year-old Krysta Michelle Tsukahara say a Cybertruck turned a “demise entice” when it burst into flames on Nov. 27, 2024, after hitting a tree in Alameda County.
Tsukahara survived the crash however couldn’t escape as a result of the Cybertruck had no exterior handles and relied completely on low-voltage buttons that went lifeless as quickly as the hearth started.
A Good Samaritan additionally didn’t open the doorways.
The one emergency choice in her seating place was a hid wire loop hidden contained in the map pocket on the backside of the door — a setup the criticism calls impractical because the cabin full of hearth.
Rescuers couldn’t break via the truck’s “armor glass” or stainless-steel doorways in time. Tsukahara died of smoke inhalation and thermal accidents.
All three fits declare Tesla knew for years that its electrical door methods routinely fail when energy is misplaced — and ignored repeated warnings from homeowners, first responders and regulators.
The filings additionally allege the corporate understated the hearth dangers tied to its lithium-ion battery packs.
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