Tesla has designed its cars with many futuristic items which are attractive to its customers. However, some of those items, despite their futuristic appearance, have proven deadly. A 48 year old anesthesiologist paid the ultimate price due to the design of a retractable door handle and others need to be aware of what can happen.
Omar Awan was driving a leased Tesla Model S when he lost control in South Florida and hit a palm tree according to the wrongful death lawsuit filed in Broward County. The crash set off a fire in the car and the door handles were retracted as designed. This design prevented a police officer from pulling Awan from the vehicle. Bystanders watched helplessly as the car filled with smoke and flames and the suit alleges the cars fire originated with the cars battery. The door handles on the Model S are flush with the car and pop out when they detect the cars fob nearby.
“The fire engulfed the car and burned Dr. Awan beyond recognition because the car has in inaccessible door handles and with no other way to open the door this created an unreasonably dangerous fire risk” according to the lawsuit. The complaint lists the cause of death as smoke inhalation and states that Awan sustained no internal injuries in the crash. Consumer Reports said in 2016 that broken door handles were one of the most common problems with the Model S.
Awan’s Tesla burned for hours and reignited several times even after firefighters had extinguished the flames after the car had been towed from the scene according to the complaint. There are other cases of the Model S batteries being shown to be flammable. The family of an 18 year who lost control of his Model S crashed into a concrete barrier and the battery exploded after what was described as an “entirely survivable crash” in San Jose. Since almost 46% of all electric vehicles are sold in California this is valuable and potentially life-saving information.
We represent people who are injured because of the careless and reckless acts of others. At the end of the day your case can only be settled one time and you need to know all of the facts beforehand. The reason that insurance companies have paid our clients in excess of $130,000,000.00 is that we get the facts and are not intimidated at the prospect of going to trial when they refuse to follow the law. We help with serious issues that require serious representation. We are the Law Offices of Guenard & Bozarth. We have almost 60 years of experience in our plaintiff’s only law firm. Call GB Legal 24/7/365 at 888-809-1075 or visit www.gblegal.com We Can Help!
