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Tesla is being sued by the family of a young adult who lost her life in a fiery Cybertruck crash last fall. The incident involved a group of four individuals who were traveling in the truck when it struck a tree and caught fire in a quiet Bay Area town.

A single of the crash victims made it out alive.

Legal Proceedings

This legal action, filed recently in Alameda county superior court, is being brought by the relatives of the victim, a university student who was with her relatives over Thanksgiving weekend in a Bay Area community when the tragedy took place. This accident happened on the night of late November, when the electric pickup was moving rapidly, hit a tree and ignited, as stated in an investigative document. When power to the vehicle's electronic entry system was cut off by the fire, the four passengers were locked inside with no means of escape.

Allegations About Door Handle Design

This legal filing claims the design of the Cybertruck’s door handles is at fault for the fatal outcome. Within the interior of the truck, when power fails, the sole method to exit a back entrance is by pulling a cable that’s underneath a storage compartment lining under the interior panel, according to an investigative report. Externally, the doors also stay secured and the flush handles make it challenging for rescue workers to force entry.

The automaker did not return request for comment.

“This engineering of this vehicle failed Krysta,” said the family's attorney, the attorney representing the victim's relatives. “There was no functioning, accessible emergency release or emergency release for any occupant to escape.”

Design Scrutiny

The vehicle's entry mechanisms are a flagship design for the vehicles and a source of pride for company CEO, the tech billionaire. Teslas were the first make of car to be customized with such electric handles and are built to be seamlessly integrated into the body of the car to give the vehicles a more sleek and streamlined look. However the feature has drawn criticism from vehicle safety specialists and is presently under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“The manufacturer had multiple, clear notice that its dependence on electric entry mechanisms created a serious risk of entrapment,” states the legal document. “Drivers, witnesses, and emergency personnel documented instances where vehicle passengers endured the impact but could not escape when electrical power failed and flames erupted.”

Vehicle History

The Cybertruck has received high safety ratings in crash tests, but the model has also received eight recalls since it first debuted in recent memory. Tesla has been involved in additional legal cases over automobile security, including one in the Sunshine State where a court ruled in August that Tesla must award $243 million in damages over its Autopilot feature.

Further Proceedings

The victim's relatives is also taking legal action against the driver's representatives, Soren Dixon, who at the moment of the crash was impaired of alcohol, cocaine and amphetamines, as per a coroner’s report from Alameda county. The driver also died in the accident.

Rescue Attempt

On the night of the tragedy, a companion was following the Cybertruck in another vehicle and witnessed what transpired, based on various news reports. The individual hurried to try to save his friends, breaking a glass panel on the Cybertruck. He managed to rescue a single occupant, but when he tried to save Tsukahara she wasn’t able to make it through the fire.

Cause of Death

This legal filing filed recently claims that the victim didn’t suffer bodily injury from the Cybertruck’s collision with the tree, but instead she died of smoke inhalation and fire injuries because she wasn’t able to escape the truck.

“This tragedy was avoidable,” the victim's mother and father, Carl and Noelle Tsukahara, stated in a public comment. “She survived after the impact. She called out for assistance. Yet she couldn’t get out.”