Tesla settles US case over fatal Autopilot crash of Apple engineer Walter Huang
- Walter Huang died in a crash in 2018 when his Tesla Model X was in Autopilot mode
- Settlement was made on the eve of trial over the high-profile accident in California
The settlement was made on the eve of the trial over the high-profile accident involving Tesla’s driver-assistant technology. Tesla faces a series of lawsuits over crashes related to the alleged use of Autopilot, putting the carmaker at risk of large monetary judgments and reputational damage.
The settlement, the terms of which were not disclosed, came as Chief Executive Elon Musk is making major promotions of self-driving technology, which he has touted as key to the financial future of the world’s most valuable carmaker.
The 2018 accident killed 38-year-old Walter Huang. His family had alleged that Autopilot steered his 2017 Model X into a highway barrier.
Plaintiffs’ lawyers asked a Tesla witness whether the company knew drivers would not watch the road when using its driver-assistance system, Reuters reported last month citing deposition transcripts.