Tesla found liable in fatal Autopilot crash

Tesla has been found partly liable in a deadly crash where Enhanced Autopilot was engaged. The payout is hefty.

The payout includes $129 million in compensatory damages, and $200 million in punitive damages against Tesla. Attorneys for the plaintiffs had asked the jury to award damages of around $345 million. The trial in the Southern District of Florida started on July 14.

The suit centered around who shouldered the blame for the deadly crash in Key Largo, Florida. A Tesla owner named George McGee was driving his Model S electric sedan while using the company's Enhanced Autopilot, a partially automated driving system.

While driving, McGee dropped his mobile phone that he was using and scrambled to pick it up. He said during the trial that he believed Enhanced Autopilot would brake if an obstacle was in the way. His Model S accelerated through an intersection at just over 60 miles per hour, hitting a nearby empty parked car and its owners, who were standing on the other side of their vehicle.CNBC

Tesla whistleblowers have been telling us the company doesn't care about safety. I wonder if the shareholders will notice how much this costs them. I can not imagine what it could be that might turn Tesla's sinking brand image around, but it is clear we have not seen it yet.