In a landmark decision, a federal jury in Miami has ordered Tesla to pay $243 million after being found 33% liable for a 2019 fatal crash in Florida involving its Autopilot system.
🔴 The Incident:
The crash occurred in the Florida Keys when George McGee’s Tesla Model S, reportedly on Autopilot, failed to stop at a T-intersection and slammed into a parked Chevrolet Tahoe.
Naibel Benavides Leon tragically lost her life.
Dillon Angulo, her boyfriend, suffered life-altering injuries.
⚖️ The Verdict:
Jury awarded $42.5M in compensatory damages
Plus $200M in punitive damages
McGee was found 67% responsible
Tesla, 33% responsible
🗣️ “This verdict represents justice for Naibel’s tragic death and Dillon’s lifelong injuries. It holds Tesla and Musk accountable for fueling Autopilot hype without full transparency.”
— Brett Schreiber, Victims’ Attorney
📉 Tesla plans to appeal, calling the verdict “wrong” and claiming it will “set back automotive safety.
📊 What the data said:
McGee admitted he was distracted, having dropped his phone during the drive.
Vehicle logs showed he accelerated to 17 mph over the limit, overriding Autopilot seconds before the crash.
Tesla argued Autopilot worked as designed, and the driver ignored repeated warnings.
⚠️ Why it matters:
This is one of the biggest verdicts yet involving self-driving tech. It could reshape how autonomous systems are marketed — and how liability is shared when things go wrong.