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Tesla is being sued by the family members of a further individual killed in an accident involving a Cybertruck in the quiet town located in California. This is the second suit filed against the car maker within the past few days claiming a manufacturing defect in its vehicle is to blame for the deaths of the passengers involved in the accident, as per legal documents.

Allegations of Known Defects

The parents of Jack Nelson assert that the company which assisted Elon Musk achieve billionaire status was aware of the issue for years and should have acted more swiftly to fix the problem but failed to do so, trapping the occupants trapped amid flames and smoke which ultimately caused their deaths.

"This case arises from severe manufacturing flaws in the Tesla Cybertruck that turned a survivable crash into a fatal fire," states the legal filing, submitted recently at the local courthouse.

Second Similar Lawsuit

A similar suit was filed against Tesla recently by the family of another victim, another victim of the crash. Tsukahara, 19, and Nelson, 20, were seated in the rear of the electric vehicle on 27 November 2024, with one other passenger and the vehicle operator. The vehicle collided with a tree while traveling rapidly and caught on fire, as detailed in an official traffic incident document.

Tragic Circumstances

When power to the truck’s electric doors was disrupted by the flames, the occupants became trapped within with no way out. The driver also died. The remaining occupant was pulled from the car after a rescuer broke a window.

"These four individuals inside the electric truck were close friends and remarkable people, all poised to deliver significant impacts to the world," Todd and Stannye Nelson said in a statement. "They were all victims of Tesla’s unsafe design. Their tragic loss and harm have devastated everyone who knew them."

Federal Investigation

The new legal threats facing Tesla follow shortly after federal transportation authorities opened an investigation regarding the automaker about its electric door handles, designed to sit level with the body of the vehicle.

The agency is also looking into complaints by drivers indicating that upon leaving their vehicles, they were unable to access rear doors to retrieve their children and, in some cases, had to break the window to reach them.

Recurring Safety Concerns

Tesla door handles have been the focus of multiple accident-related legal cases since the power source powering the unlocking mechanism can be destroyed in a fire while the emergency overrides that bypass the electronic system are difficult to find.

"The emergency manual override for that door was hidden underneath the liner of the map pocket at the bottom of the door – concealed, unmarked, and impractical to locate or use in the smoke and chaos of a post-crash fire," explained the family. "Consequently, the vehicle's engineering trapped the young individuals without viable means of evacuation."

Previous Legal Precedents

These electric truck legal cases follow several others that have claimed numerous safety issues with Tesla cars. In August, a court in Florida decided that Tesla must pay $243m in damages to the family of a 22-year-old woman who lost her life in an accident involving their car using the autonomous driving feature.