By
Svetlana Soroka
April 18th, 2024
After the incident, the taxi firm G7 suspended the use of 37 Tesla vehicles.
A taxi driver in Paris has filed a lawsuit against EV maker Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) after his Model 3 crashed last December. At the time of the accident that led to the death of a person, the taxi driver said the car sped off by itself, and he could not activate the brakes. The unnamed driver, who was off-duty, was going to a restaurant in the Tesla car with his family when the accident occurred. Apart from killing a person, the fatal crash also injured 20 others. Witnesses at the accident scene stated that the car crashed through a row of pay-to-ride bicycles. According to the witnesses, the crashed Tesla Model 3 hit some pedestrians and a van before it eventually stopped. Also, the accident involved a recycle bin full of glass.
However, the French government said Tesla claimed there was no sign of a technical fault in the car that could have resulted in such a fatal crash. Transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said he discussed with the CEO of Tesla Europe. The minister said the CEO stated that there was no safety alert for the Model 3.
After the incident, the taxi firm G7 suspended the use of 37 Tesla vehicles while the police investigated the matter. The deputy chief executive at the taxi firm, Yann Ricordel, declared:
“We will maintain the suspension of the Tesla Model 3 while the investigation is ongoing, as a safety measure for our drivers, customers and other road users.”
Taxi Driver Files Lawsuit Against Tesla
Last Friday, the attorney representing the driver, Sarah Saldmann, revealed that her client had filed a criminal complaint with public prosecutors in Versailles. The taxi driver alleged that Tesla endangered the lives of others. It is now left with the public prosecutor’s office to decide if Tesla has a lawsuit to answer or not. In the past, the EV maker has collected data from its vehicles’ cameras and sensors to tackle claims that malfunctioned technology resulted in crashes.
Tesla cars have gotten more expensive after the company recently hiked the prices of its products. The company increased its prices two times within one week amid worrisome inflation. CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet that the company is experiencing inflation in the cost of raw materials and logistics. Generally, the costs of special metals such as aluminum used in developing cars have surged. With the inflationary pressure, Tesla has added about $1,000 to its Model 3, and the vehicle now starts at $47,000. At the same time, Model Y also increased $3,000 to $62,990.
At the extended trading session, TSLA is up 0.24% to $907.60. The company has gained more than 38% over the past year and jumped 5.65% in the past month. In the last five days, Tesla stock has advanced 13.84%.