— Tesla and two of its representatives/agents have been sued for $10.3 million after a Virginia woman crashed into a hair salon while test driving a Model Y electric vehicle.
The lawsuit claims the woman should have been warned that removing her foot from the accelerator pedal would cause the Tesla to slow down.
The lawsuit also alleges Tesla should have told her the Model Y had different acceleration modes.
Plaintiff Alemzewd Lawgalet was test driving the Tesla Model Y on September 21, 2024, in Arlington, Virginia, when the crash occurred.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff told Tesla's representatives (John Doe 1 and John Doe 2) she had never driven an electric vehicle before. But the representatives told her driving an electric vehicle was the same as driving a gasoline vehicle.
The plaintiff also complains she asked for a rep to go with her on the test drive but was told it wasn't necessary and to simply take the Model Y for a spin and return to the Tesla service center.
The plaintiff says she was driving on I-395 and took her foot off the accelerator pedal which caused the vehicle to slow down. This scared the plaintiff because she thought the brakes had been engaged at 55 mph. She decided to take the next exit and return to the Tesla service center.
The lawsuit says the plaintiff was accelerating from a stop light when "the vehicle lurched forward at an extreme speed and horsepower compared to the force placed on the accelerator."
The plaintiff lost control of the Tesla and crashed into the front of a hair salon which caused a fire inside the salon, which contained employees and customers.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff "suffered serious and permanent bodily injuries, which have caused and will continue to cause physical and mental pain and suffering."
The lawsuit also alleges Tesla and its representatives are 100% to blame for the incident.
The plaintiff blames the Tesla Model Y regenerative braking system for the crash and her injuries, systems often included on hybrid and electric vehicles. This system is supposedly what scared her when the Model Y slowed down when she removed her foot from the accelerator pedal.
The lawsuit also blames Tesla's three acceleration modes: Chill, Standard, and Insane. The lawsuit doesn't specifically say the Model Y was in "Insane" mode, but the plaintiff complains she wasn't told "of the existence of varying acceleration modes prior to the test drive."
"Defendants did not inform Plaintiff of the properties of varying acceleration modes prior to the test drive. Defendants did not inform Plaintiff of which acceleration mode she was in prior to the test drive. Defendants did not show Plaintiff the display features to show her which acceleration mode the vehicle was in. Defendants did not show Plaintiff how to change the acceleration mode that the vehicle was in." — Alemzewd Lawgalet lawsuit
And why did the plaintiff include the two Tesla representatives in her lawsuit?
"Defendant John Doe 1 and/or Defendant John Doe 2’s negligent acts/omissions include, but are not limited to, giving Plaintiff a motor vehicle without informing her of how to operate it, failing to accompany Plaintiff on a test drive, failing to instruct Plaintiff on the operation of the vehicle, failing to instruct Plaintiff on the vehicle features, telling Plaintiff that the vehicle operated the same as a gas vehicle, and other acts/omissions which demonstrate a lack of reasonable care in their dealings with Plaintiff."
You can see video of the Tesla Model Y heading toward the hair salon here.
The Tesla test drive crash lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia: Alemzewd Lawgalet v. Tesla Motors, Inc., et al.
The plaintiff is represented by Valor Injury Law, and the Skeen Law Offices.