A fiery Tesla Cybertruck crash that killed three college students in California has sparked national outrage and multiple lawsuits, with families blaming the vehicle’s electronic doors for turning the car into a death trap.
Krysta Tsukahara, 19, Jack Nelson, 20, and Soren Dixon, 19, all died after their Cybertruck slammed into a tree and burst into flames around 3:08AM on November 27, 2023, in the upscale Bay Area suburb of Piedmont.
A fourth passenger, Jordan Miller, 20, survived with severe burns after a witness used a tree branch to smash the window and pull him from the inferno, per the New York Post.
Families To Sue Tesla
Now, the families of Tsukahara and Nelson are suing Tesla, alleging that the Cybertruck’s electric door system malfunctioned, trapping the students inside the burning vehicle while they screamed for help.
“It’s just a horror story,” said Roger Dreyer, the Tsukahara family’s attorney, per the San Francisco Chronicle.
“Tesla knows that it’s happened and that it’s going to happen, and they are doing nothing but selling the car with a system that entraps people and doesn’t provide a way of extraction.”
According to the lawsuits, Tsukahara and Dixon survived the initial crash with only minor injuries but were unable to escape due to the Cybertruck’s electronic door latches, which reportedly rely on a 12-volt battery separate from the vehicle’s main power supply.
When that battery fails in a crash, the electronic system can become inoperable — and Tesla’s manual release mechanisms are allegedly too hidden or unintuitive to locate in an emergency.
“Rear passengers like Jack were left with only a concealed mechanical release that was obscure, nonintuitive and highly unlikely to be located or operated in the smoke and chaos of a post-crash fire,” Nelson’s family stated in their lawsuit.
Tsukahara’s lawsuit added that she “suffered unimaginable pain and emotional distress” in her final moments as she struggled to escape the flames.
A bystander who witnessed the crash tried desperately to help but couldn’t save those still inside.
“I went back to the broken window and yelled for them to try and get out at this window. Krysta tried to come up, sticking her head from the back,” the witness told police.
“I grabbed her arm to try and pull her towards me, but she retreated because of the fire."
He later broke the rear window but said: “Once I got in, the fire had made its way throughout the entire car.”
Tesla’s Design Under Scrutiny Amid Tragic Details
Tesla’s push-button doors, seen as a futuristic feature, are now at the center of the controversy. The lawsuits argue that no adequate fail-safe was in place to allow manual escape in the event of a crash and power failure — and that the design “entombed” the passengers.
“They [Tesla] will want to blame Mr. Dixon, anybody but themselves,” Dreyer said.
“But this vehicle absolutely should not have entombed these individuals and my clients’ daughter. It’s our way of holding the wrongdoer accountable and correcting bad conduct.”
Both families are seeking unspecified punitive damages.
Toxicology Reports Reveal Drugs and Alcohol Involved
Though the lawsuit targets Tesla’s design, toxicology reports from the California Highway Patrol confirm that drugs and alcohol also played a role.
Dixon, who was behind the wheel, had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.195 — more than twice the legal limit — and tested positive for cocaine and meth.
Nelson’s BAC was 0.168, and he also tested positive for cocaine. Tsukahara had a BAC of 0.028. Authorities ruled all three deaths accidental, citing asphyxia from smoke inhalation as the primary cause, with burns also contributing.
The crash occurred after the group had attended a small party. Dixon reportedly lost control while navigating a curve en route to Miller’s house. The Cybertruck jumped a curb, smashed into a retaining wall and tree, and erupted into flames on impact.
Authorities have not disclosed who owned the Cybertruck, as that detail was redacted from police reports.
VT has contacted Tesla for a comment.