Tesla Driver Causing Casualties in Accident Sues Tesla in French Prosecutor's Office

Tesla Model 3

A taxi driver who caused a fatal accident while driving a Tesla Model 3 in Paris, France, has filed a lawsuit against Tesla with the French prosecutor's office.

On the 20th (local time), daily newspaper Le Parisien reported that Sarah Saldman, the lawyer representing the taxi driver under investigation for negligent homicide, filed a complaint against 'Tesla France' with the prosecutor for endangering others.

On December 11 last year, the taxi driver in his 50s, who was off duty that day, hit cyclists and pedestrians traveling on a road with a speed limit of 30 km/h at a speed exceeding 100 km/h. The accident resulted in one death and 20 injuries.

At the time, the driver's wife and two daughters were in the taxi with him, and the driver tested negative for both alcohol and drugs in tests conducted immediately after the accident. The driver obtained his driver's license in 1984 and purchased the Tesla Model 3 last August for 44,990 euros (approximately 60 million won).

The taxi driver claimed, "The car suddenly accelerated, and the brakes did not work; I could not control anything."

French authorities stated that initial investigations found no immediate signs of technical defects in the Tesla taxi, and Tesla headquarters also said they do not know what happened.

However, Saldman explained, "There have been at least 11 serious accidents worldwide involving vehicles manufactured by Tesla," adding, "Several lawsuits have already been filed in the United States, where Tesla's headquarters are located."