Tesla settles lawsuit over fatal pedestrian crash involving Full Self-Driving

The lawsuit dates back to a deadly incident in Arizona in 2023.

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Tesla has resolved a legal case tied to the death of 71-year-old Johna Story in Arizona, who was struck by a vehicle using its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. The settlement follows a 2023 lawsuit filed by Story’s family, though financial terms remain undisclosed. The crash occurred when Story exited her car to direct traffic after a minor collision caused by sun glare; she was then hit and killed by a Tesla Model Y operating in FSD mode. This marks the first confirmed pedestrian fatality involving Tesla’s advanced driving technology.

The incident prompted a federal investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to assess how FSD performs under low-visibility conditions. Unlike prior lawsuits involving Tesla’s Autopilot system—such as a fatal Model X crash where a driver collided with a median—Tesla has not commented on the Arizona case’s specifics. However, a separate lawsuit involving a recent Model 3 collision remains pending, alleging improper use of an automated driving feature. Tesla’s FSD system has since been rebranded as “Full Self-Driving (Supervised),” emphasizing the requirement for driver oversight. The NHTSA inquiry underscores ongoing regulatory scrutiny of autonomous driving technologies in complex real-world scenarios.

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