— A Tesla Autopilot crash lawsuit won't make it to a jury trial over the death of Jovani Maldonado Garcia after Tesla and the family agreed to a confidential settlement.
The lawsuit was filed after an August 2019 crash between a Tesla Model 3 and a Ford Explorer on Interstate 880 in California.
Tesla Model 3 driver Romeo Lagman Yalung was driving 69 mph with the driver-assist feature Autopilot engaged when a Ford Explorer changed lanes in front of the Tesla and quickly tried to slip back into the previous lane.
The Tesla Model 3 struck the Ford Explorer driven by Benjamin Maldonado Escudero, with his 15-year-old son in the passenger seat.
The Explorer rolled over and crashed into the freeway center barrier wall, ejecting 15-year-old Jovani Maldonado Garcia from the Explorer. Jovani was not wearing a seat belt and died at the scene.
(Watch a six-second video taken from the Tesla and make your own decision)
The Tesla Autopilot crash lawsuit was filed against Tesla, the Tesla driver, and even his wife Vilma who was sitting in the Model 3 passenger seat when the crash occurred.
The Tesla Autopilot lawsuit spent four years in court before Judge Rebekah Everson allowed the case to proceed to trial.
According to Tesla, the police report regarding the crash blamed the crash on the Tesla driver, not the Model 3.
The confidential settlement was reached about a month before the Tesla Autopilot crash trial was to begin.
It's a good bet Tesla was hesitant to take the case to a jury after what happened recently in a Tesla Autopilot crash trial in Florida.
In the Florida case, a jury partially blamed Tesla for the death of a 22-year-old woman. The jury ruled against Tesla to the tune of $329 million.
Tesla blamed a reckless driver for the Florida crash and has asked the court for a new trial. You can read what the Tesla driver told 911 and first responders here.
The Tesla Model 3 crash lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda: Escudero v. Tesla, et al., case number RG21090128.
The plaintiff is represented by Singleton Schreiber and the Swanson Law Group.