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Tesla is now seeking to overturn a ruling that found its self-driving Autopilot feature partially responsible for a fatal crash in 2019.
According to a new filing in a Florida federal court, Tesla's lawyers argue that the crash “was a tragedy that was entirely the doing of a driver who was reckless in the extreme by ignoring or overriding every safety feature in his car.”
The EV giant’s legal team says that “the $243 million judgment against Tesla flies in the face of basic Florida tort law, the Due Process Clause, and common sense.”
"In 2019, no vehicle—anywhere in the world—could have prevented the tragic consequences of George McGee’s extraordinary recklessness," read the filing, spotted by Reuters.
The crash in a rural area of Key Largo, Florida, resulted in the death of 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon, while the victim's boyfriend was severely injured and suffered a brain injury. The crash occurred while the driver, George Brian McGee, was driving a Model S electric sedan with Tesla’s Autopilot feature engaged. McGee dropped his phone, and while he stooped down to pick it up, his Model S accelerated through an intersection at over 60mph, crashing into an empty parked car and its nearby owners.
At the time of the decision, some lawyers said the legal judgment could prove highly important, encouraging others to seek legal action following future crashes involving self-driving cars.
The move to overturn the case comes as the general public is clearly open to holding Tesla's self-driving system accountable in serious crashes. According to new research from the Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report, when it comes to car accidents involving Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, two-thirds of consumers say that Tesla should compensate victims of crashes involving its advanced driver-assistance technologies.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s self-driving tech is no longer a major selling point for many. As per the research, now only a slim minority—4%—say Full Self-Driving makes them “much more” likely to purchase a Tesla. Meanwhile, 7% of respondents said that Full Self-Driving made them “somewhat less” likely to buy a Tesla.