---
title: "Tesla Slammed by Another Autopilot Crash Lawsuit"
description: "Now there's another lawsuit filed against Tesla after a driver died behind the wheel of an \"Autopilot\"-enabled car that crashed."
date: "2019-08-02"
modified: "2019-08-03"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-autopilot-crash-lawsuit"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
  - "Tesla"
tags:
  - "Autonomous vehicles"
  - "autopilot"
  - "tesla"
  - "the digest"
  - "transport"
---

# Tesla Slammed by Another Autopilot Crash Lawsuit

![Now there's another lawsuit filed against Tesla after a driver died behind the wheel of an "Autopilot"-enabled car that crashed.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/tesla-autopilot-crash-lawsuit.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Tesla\</em\>*

## Filing Suit

In March, Jeremy Beren Banner died when [his Tesla crashed](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-autopilot-engaged-fatal-florida-crash>) into a tractor-trailer while ["Autopilot" mode](<https://futurism.com/tesla-crash-confused-autonomous-autopilot>) was turned on. Now his family is suing Tesla for wrongful death.

The family filed the suit on Thursday, *[Business Insider ](<https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-sued-family-jeremy-beren-banner-autopilot-crash-2019-8>)*[reports](<https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-sued-family-jeremy-beren-banner-autopilot-crash-2019-8>), marking the latest in Autopilot's tumultuous history. Tesla has repeatedly been accused of overselling the [limited capabilities](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-autopilot-less-competent>) of the semi-autonomous driving feature, which has been implicated in [several fatal crashes](<https://futurism.com/tesla-driver-killed-in-crash-in-autopilot-mode-and-investigation-follows>) and lawsuits.

## Reviewing Evidence

Per the lawsuit, Banner turned on Autopilot mode about ten seconds before the crash. An investigation revealed that the vehicle did not detect his hands on the steering wheel at the time, though *Business Insider* reports that the sensors that determine whether someone let go of the wheel are notoriously buggy.

Tesla owns video footage of the crash from inside the vehicle, according to *BI*. Now that Banner's family has filed suit, they could be able to access it for the first time.

## Troubled History

Investigations have previously revealed Autopilot's software making dangerous decisions, like [swerving toward highway dividers](<https://futurism.com/tesla-autopilot-shown-steering-towards-highway-barriers>). In March 2018, another [Tesla driver was killed](<https://futurism.com/officials-tesla-model-x-autopilot-killed-driver>) after a vehicle on Autopilot crashed into a divider, and that driver's [family sued as well](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-sued-deadly-crash-autopilot>).

"We are so far from that technology. I get it, his \[Elon Musk's\] company is under stress to sell and profit," the Banner family's lawyer, Trey Lytal, said in a [video announcement](<https://www.facebook.com/WPTV5/videos/2418473375099235/>). "We cannot have technology and sales take over safety."

**READ MORE:** ['We cannot have technology and sales take over safety': Tesla is being sued again for a deadly Autopilot crash](<https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-sued-family-jeremy-beren-banner-autopilot-crash-2019-8>) \[*Business Insider*\]

**More on Autopilot:** *[Tesla Crash Shows Drivers Are Confused By “Autonomous” vs. “Autopilot”](<https://futurism.com/tesla-crash-confused-autonomous-autopilot>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)