An Indianapolis jury is holding electric vehicle maker Tesla and one of its employees partially liable in the 2017 crash between the company-owned Ford truck and a motorcycle.
Tesla and the employee are asked to pay more than $42 million in damages that caused partial amputation, permanent disfigurement, and a traumatic brain injury to the motorcyclist.
Tesla Found Guilty for Indiana Motorcycle Incident
Previously, it was reported that the attorneys of the victim Christopher Dugan have been seeking damages worth $191 million. However, the jury found Dugan 30% liable for the crash, leading to the reduction of the award from $60 million to $42 million.
The remaining 70% was found to be Tesla and Kyle Kaszuba's responsibility for the accident. Dugan's trial attorney, Nick Rowley, expressed disappointment with Tesla's failure to take accountability.
"A young father's life was permanently destroyed. This verdict cannot repair the harm caused, but it will help provide Chris Dugan with the lifetime of care and support he needs," he added.
Tesla 2017 Incident Led to Traumatic Crash
In 2017, long-time Tesla employee Kyle Kaszuba made a left turn in the Tesla-owned Ford Super Duty F-250 maintenance truck across the double yellow line and two lanes of oncoming traffic.
The motorcycle, driven by Dugan, was temporarily hidden from the driver's view due to another truck, as per Tesla's argument. In addition, the company stated that Dugan was moving at an accelerated pace into the traffic.
During the trial, it was alleged that Tesla never made any attempt to settle the case and even rejected the settlement offers from $10 million to $20 million. According to Rowley, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has a policy of personally approving any company settlements that will cost more than $10 million.
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