France: Taxi driver files complaint against Tesla, after car crashes in Paris killing one

A taxi driver has filed a legal complaint against Tesla, Elon Musk’s car company. His lawyer stated on Sunday, just a few months after his car Tesla Model 3, was involved during a car crash in Paris that took one person’s life.

In December last year, the off-duty taxi driver’s Tesla smashed through metal posts, a row of pay-to-ride bikes & a recycling bin full of glass, hitting pedestrians & a van before stopping.

The unidentified driver told police at the time that the car had accelerated on its own, & he was unable to apply the brakes.

During the time following the accident, the French government stated that Tesla had told it that there was no direct sign of a technical fault, but the taxi firm G7 stopped using the model in its fleet.

Sarah Saldmann, who is representing the case from the driver’s side, said her client filed a criminal complaint with public prosecutors in Versailles on Friday, blaming Tesla for “putting the lives of others in danger.”

Saldmann refused to comment on whether the complaint had been made based on unpublished initial conclusions from investigators.

Alongside, leaving one person dead, three persons were seriously injured, and another 17 people were hurt in the accident in the arrondissement of Paris, which is lined with bars, restaurants and shops.

The taxi driver is under formal investigation for manslaughter but hasn’t been charged, while he also tested negative in an alcohol test after the crash.

The public prosecutor’s office in Versailles will now decide whether Tesla has a case to answer.

Tesla collects detailed data from the sensors and cameras on its vehicles and has used such data in the past to challenge claims that accidents were caused by malfunctioning technology.