Student who survived deadly Tesla Cybertruck crash in California sues automaker
By Tim Fang
A college student who survived a fiery crash involving a Tesla Cybertruck in the San Francisco Bay Area has sued the automaker, alleging the vehicle’s design trapped the occupants inside.
Attorneys representing Jordan Miller, who survived the solo vehicle crash, filed a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court this week. The lawsuit accuses the automaker of negligence, design defect, failure to warn and failure to recall.
On the morning of Nov. 27, 2024, the driver of the Cybertruck carrying four college students slammed into a tree in the community of Piedmont, catching fire. Attorneys said a friend who was driving behind them saw the crash and ran to the truck.
“He reached for the doors. There were no handles. He pressed the electronic buttons. Nothing happened. He grabbed a tree branch and swung it at the window again and again, but the reinforced glass held,” the attorneys said a statement.
The friend was eventually able to break the glass and pulled Miller to safety. Miller suffered numerous injuries, including burns to his airways to his airways and lungs and four fractured vertebrae, attorneys said.
Three others, identified as Soren Dixon, Jack Nelson and Krysta Tsukahara, died at the scene. All four inside the pickup had graduated from Piedmont High School in 2023 and had returned for the Thanksgiving holiday.
“A friend was right there within seconds,” said attorney Annie Wu. “Jordan was trapped in a burning vehicle when he didn’t have to be. That is a design problem.”
According to the attorneys, the complaint alleged the automaker had known about the risk of trapped occupants for more than a decade.
“When you design a vehicle with no mechanical way to open the doors from the outside, you are betting the electronics will work in every scenario, including a high-speed crash followed by a fire,” said attorney Anthony Label.
CBS News Bay Area has reached out to Tesla for comment.
The families of Tsukahara and Nelson have filed separate lawsuits in the case.
