Elon Musk Says Autopilot Would 'Almost Certainly Have' Saved Driver In 2019 Model 3 Crash After Tesla Prevails In Court

Tesla Inc. TSLA was cleared by a court in the 2019 fatal Model 3 crash that took place in Los Angeles, involving its advanced driver-assistance system, Autopilot. CEO Elon Musk responded to the news and expressed his belief that if Autopilot had been activated, the driver would likely have been saved.

What Happened: Micah Lee was killed in 2019 after their Model 3 veered of a highway, hit a tree and caught fire. While Lee was killed in the incident, his two passengers, Lindsay Molander and her son Parker Austin, were injured.

The two passengers approached the court alleging that Autopilot caused the accident and demanded over $400 million in punitive damages. The trial was the first in the U.S. to allege that Tesla's autopilot feature led to a death.

Tesla denied liability alleging that Lee had consumed alcohol and that it was unclear if Autopilot was engaged during the crash, Bloomberg reported.

The jury in Riverside County Superior Court on Tuesday voted in favor of Tesla that its vehicle did not have a manufacturing defect, the report said.

"The jury's conclusion was the right one," the company said in a statement, as reported by Bloomberg. "There was no evidence of a defect in our Autopilot technology. Tesla's cars are well-designed and making the roads safer every day."

"The irony is that if Autopilot had been turned on here, it would almost certainly have saved the driver," Musk himself wrote on X.

Why It Matters: Earlier this year, Tesla won a trial pertaining to a Model S swerving into the curb and injuring driver Justine Hsu. 

The company then said that it warns its drivers of the need for constant monitoring even while its driving assist capabilities are activated and pinned the accident on driver distraction.

Tesla is facing probes from several ends on its autopilot capabilities. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is probing autopilot after identifying several cases where Tesla vehicles crashed into stationary emergency vehicles.

The U.S. Department of Justice is also probing the company for whether the company misled consumers/ investors about its autopilot performance. 

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