- Family alleges Tesla Cybertruck defects trapped 47-year-old driver in fiery August crash.
- The lawsuit also accuses Barn Whiskey Bar of over-serving alcohol before the incident.
- Plaintiffs seek over $1M in damages despite NHTSA’s top safety rating for the Cybertruck.
Michael Sheehan was driving his Tesla Cybertruck when he crashed a little over a year ago. He didn’t survive the single-vehicle accident, and his family wants justice. They just sued Tesla and a local bar in a wrongful death lawsuit. The family says that both entities are responsible for Sheehan’s fate.
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According to the complaint, filed in Harris County District Court, Sheehan owned the Cybertruck for just 102 days when the crash happened. He left the Barn Whiskey Bar in Cypress, Texas, and crashed about seven miles away. The Tesla left the road, hit a culvert, and burst into flames.
More: Witness Says Cybertruck Doors Wouldn’t Open In Fatal California Crash
At the time of the accident, it was unclear what caused the crash. Investigators openly admitted that just identifying the body was difficult due to the heat of the fire. Now, we have a little more insight into potentially contributing factors.
Sheehan’s family says that the Barn Whiskey Bar over-served Sheehan despite him being “clearly intoxicated.” In fact, the lawsuit goes as far as to say that “it was apparent to the provider that MICHAEL SHEEHAN was obviously intoxicated to the extent that he presented a clear danger to himself and others.”
Interestingly, the family also blames Tesla because it says the Cybertruck itself is dangerous. According to the lawsuit, the “battery cell chemistry used is hyper volatile and susceptible to thermal runaway.” The family says that the automaker could have used “battery cell chemistry with slower thermal propagation readily available, which allows longer time to escape post-crash.”
The family goes on to cite other things it sees as defects, like the battery modules, the packs, the location of the vents in those modules and packs, and even the door handles in the truck that are “unreasonably difficult to locate in an emergency.”
Essentially, the family believes that if the fire had spread more slowly and if egress had been easier, Sheehan would’ve escaped. To that end, it’s seeking damages in excess of $1,000,000. All that said, it’s also worth noting that the Cybertruck has the highest safety rating (five-star) from the NHTSA.
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HT: CarComplaints
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