Tesla will compensate the family of a driver of one of its semi-automatic vehicles for an accident that occurred in the US in 2018, although the amount it will pay is unknown. It is the agreement that the electric vehicle manufacturer has reached just before the trial will begin, the result of a lawsuit filed by the victim’s family in 2019, according to The Washington Post.
Walter Huang, a 38-year-old Apple engineer, was traveling with his Tesla’s automatic system (autopilot) activated and did not have his hands on the wheel in the 6 seconds before colliding with a barrier, despite warnings issued by the car, according to the authorities’ investigation. The man died shortly after the accident at a nearby hospital.
According to documents to which this newspaper has had access, Huang’s vehicle, on autopilot, deviated from a lane line that was “faded, almost erased” and then began to follow a lighter lane line.
That led the car into the path of a safety barrier on the highway, which it collided with while going about 114 kilometers per hour (71 miles), the reports detailed.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation later cited Tesla’s failure to limit the use of Autopilot in such conditions as a contributing factor. And Elon Musk’s company acknowledged to the Board that Autopilot is designed for areas with “clear lane markings.”
It is not the first time that the safety of its semi-automatic cars has been questioned. The manufacturer faces several lawsuits related to its technology, which will be resolved in court later this year.
