Tesla seeks dismissal of verdict from fatal 2019 crash

Tesla asks court to throw out fatal crash verdict

Tesla has filed a motion asking a court to dismiss a previous verdict that found the automaker partially responsible for a fatal crash in 2019. The incident, which took place in Mountain View, California, involved a Tesla Model X colliding with a barrier on Highway 101, resulting in the death of the driver.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that Tesla’s Autopilot system was engaged at the time of the crash and had steered the vehicle towards the barrier. The NTSB also criticized Tesla for not doing enough to prevent driver misuse of the system. However, Tesla disputes these findings, arguing that the driver had sufficient time and opportunity to intervene before the crash occurred.

Tesla’s motion to set aside the verdict is based on the assertion that the company should not be held liable for the crash as the driver was responsible for maintaining control of the vehicle. The automaker maintains that its Autopilot system is intended to assist drivers and requires them to remain attentive and ready to take the wheel at all times.

The family of the deceased driver has not publicly commented on Tesla’s recent legal maneuver. The court is yet to schedule a hearing to address Tesla’s request to overturn the earlier verdict.

Sources Analysis:

NTSB – The National Transportation Safety Board is a federal agency known for its impartial investigations into transportation accidents. However, it may be under pressure from various stakeholders to hold Tesla accountable for incidents involving its vehicles.

Tesla – As the defendant in this case, Tesla has a clear interest in absolving itself of any responsibility for the fatal crash. The company’s legal strategy is aimed at protecting its reputation and financial interests.

Fact Check:

NTSB’s determination regarding the involvement of Tesla’s Autopilot system – Verified facts. The NTSB’s findings are based on a comprehensive investigation into the crash.

Tesla’s claim that the driver was responsible for the crash – Unconfirmed claims. While Tesla asserts the driver’s responsibility, this has not been validated independently.

The court’s scheduling of a hearing to address Tesla’s motion – Statements that cannot be independently verified. The timing of the court’s decision-making process is not publicly available.

Model:
gpt-3.5-turbo
Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “Tesla asks court to throw out fatal crash verdict”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
2. Write a clear, concise, and neutral headline for the article below. Avoid clickbait, emotionally charged language, unverified claims, or assumptions about intent, blame, or victimhood. Attribute contested information to sources (e.g., “according to…”), and do not present claims as facts unless independently verified. The headline should inform, not persuade. Write only the title, do not add any other information in your response.
3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.

Scroll to Top