Student who survived deadly Tesla Cybertruck crash in California sues automaker
By Tim Fang
Click here for updates on this story
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — A college student who survived a fiery crash involving a Tesla Cybertruck in the San Francisco Bay Area has sued the automaker, alleging the vehicle’s design trapped the occupants inside.
Attorneys representing Jordan Miller, who survived the solo vehicle crash, filed a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court this week. The lawsuit accuses the automaker of negligence, design defect, failure to warn and failure to recall.
On the morning of Nov. 27, 2024, the driver of the Cybertruck carrying four college students slammed into a tree in the community of Piedmont, catching fire. Attorneys said a friend who was driving behind them saw the crash and ran to the truck.
“He reached for the doors. There were no handles. He pressed the electronic buttons. Nothing happened. He grabbed a tree branch and swung it at the window again and again, but the reinforced glass held,” the attorneys said a statement.
The friend was eventually able to break the glass and pulled Miller to safety. Miller suffered numerous injuries, including burns to his airways to his airways and lungs and four fractured vertebrae, attorneys said.
Three others, identified as Soren Dixon, Jack Nelson and Krysta Tsukahara, died at the scene. All four inside the pickup had graduated from Piedmont High School in 2023.
“A friend was right there within seconds,” said attorney Annie Wu. “Jordan was trapped in a burning vehicle when he didn’t have to be. That is a design problem.”
CBS News Bay Area has reached out to Tesla for comment.
The families of Tsukahara and Nelson have filed separate lawsuits in the case.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.