The victim’s family alleged that sudden unintended acceleration and safety system failures led to the 2020 accident in Seoul
The family of a lawyer who died in a 2020 Tesla Model X crash in Seoul has filed a lawsuit against Tesla’s US headquarters and its South Korean subsidiary, alleging sudden unintended acceleration and vehicle defects.
Lawyer Ha Jong-seon, representing the victim’s family, held a press conference on Thursday and announced that a civil complaint had been filed with the Seoul Central District Court a day earlier.
The case centres on a fatal accident that occurred on December 9, 2020, when a Tesla Model X crashed into the wall of an underground parking garage in Yongsan district, Seoul. At the time, the vehicle was being driven by a chauffeur, identified as Choi, while lawyer Yoon, a passenger in the car, was killed in the crash and ensuing fire.
The family said that telematics data retrieved from the vehicle raises serious questions about the cause of the accident. According to the data, the accelerator pedal was allegedly pressed at 100 per cent displacement for six seconds, yet the vehicle’s speed increased by only 39km/h (24mph) – from 55.84 to 94.95km/h – a discrepancy they argue indicates the driver may have been pressing the brakes instead.
