In a heartbreaking incident, a widow is taking legal action against Tesla after her husband’s fatal crash in a 2020 Modelo 3 that erupted into a fiery explosion. Jiyoung Yoon has laid the blame squarely on Tesla, asserting that they were responsible for her husband’s car being in its “defective and unreasonably dangerous condition,” leading to his untimely demise. This lawsuit has been officially filed in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York.

Jyung Woo Hahn, a la edad de 46 años, tuvo un trágico final el 12 de marzo de 2022, mientras conducía su Tesla por la autopista Palisades Interstate Parkway, en el condado de Rockland, Nueva York. El coche, según las fuentes, funcionó mal, chocó contra un árbol y ardió en llamas al instante.

Yoon cree que su marido sobrevivió al accidente, pero que quedó atrapado en el interior del vehículo, que rápidamente fue devorado por las llamas. Las fotografías tomadas tras el siniestro no muestran más que un cascarón calcinado de lo que fue un coche.

Firefighters from Nanuet, upon arriving at the crash site, encountered immense difficulty in extinguishing the fire. The culprit? The car’s lithium-ion battery, which, once punctured, undergoes “thermal runaway”. This process sees a drastic surge in the battery’s temperature and pressure, releasing flammable gas. When ignited, this leads to a rapid fire that is not only hard to control but releases harmful fumes. Remarkably, it took over 1,000 gallons of water to quell the inferno.

Tesla’s unique design incorporates batteries that stretch across the car’s entire floor, making such fires even more widespread. Yoon’s lawsuit alleges that Tesla’s design and manufacturing rendered the car not “crashworthy”.

Además, acusa a Tesla de negligencia e incumplimiento de la garantía implícita de comerciabilidad. La afligida viuda solicita un juicio con jurado y exige una indemnización que cubra los salarios perdidos, la angustia emocional, etc.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t an isolated incident involving a Tesla vehicle. The flammable nature of lithium-ion batteries has led to multiple Tesla-related fires. Earlier in July, two lives were lost in New York when a Tesla hit a house and ignited. That same month, another Tesla crash at an elementary school in California resulted in the car catching fire.

En medio de estas preocupaciones crecientes, TechCrunch has reached out to the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) to understand if they are probing these Tesla-related fires. The NHTSA is presently examining issues related to Tesla’s power steering control and has started multiple investigations into Tesla’s Autopilot system’s role in past accidents.

En conclusión, a medida que avanza la tecnología y nos orientamos hacia métodos de transporte más sostenibles, es vital garantizar que la seguridad siga siendo primordial. A medida que se desarrollan las investigaciones, muchos esperan respuestas y mejoras en el futuro de la seguridad automovilística.