A Snohomish County family filed a lawsuit against Tesla after a crash involving the car’s Autopilot feature killed their son on State Route 522 in April 2024.
Jeffrey Nissen Jr., 28, was riding his motorcycle when a Tesla operating on Autopilot collided with him, crushing him beneath his bike. The lawsuit filed in January alleges the autopilot feature failed to detect Nissen or the change in traffic, leading to the fatal crash.
“I think that car’s a death trap and it shouldn’t be on the road,” said Carrie Hutchinson, Nissen’s mother. “I want people to know about this car, because if I didn’t say something and someone else died over this, it would be a real tragedy.”
The lawsuit accuses Tesla of continuing to release Autopilot software despite known safety risks. “This is not ready for primetime; they don’t have all the glitches out, and we’re the test subjects,” said Sim Osborn, the attorney representing the family. “People on the road are the test subjects, and it’s got to stop.”
This case is not isolated. Last year, the California DMV found Tesla violated state law by using misleading terms like “Autopilot” and “full self-driving capability” in their marketing. Seattle University law professor Steve Tapia, who is not involved in the case, noted similar lawsuits against Tesla nationwide. He referenced a Florida jury’s decision last year to award more than $240 million in damages to victims of a deadly crash involving Autopilot.
“When you see a pattern like this, and especially when it’s involving products, it’s hard to say that the manufacturer is not liable,” Tapia said. “Ultimately, none of this would be happening if it didn’t have the Autopilot feature, so in terms of root cause, it sort of seems to be a Tesla design problem.”
The driver of the Tesla is also named in the lawsuit. Initial reports indicated he was distracted by his cell phone when the vehicle lurched forward. Although he was initially arrested, no criminal charges have been filed.
“I’d rather have Jeffrey back than all the money in the world, because nothing can bring him back now, and we miss him,” said Jeffrey Nissen Sr. “There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t think about him.”
