The family of a Washington state motorcyclist killed in a 2024 crash involving a Tesla with Autopilot engaged filed a wrongful-death lawsuit this month against Tesla Inc., accusing the electric vehicle maker of knowingly selling dangerous technology and exaggerating its safety claims.
The complaint, filed in Snohomish County Superior Court, stems from the April 19, 2024, death of 28-year-old Jeffrey Nissen of Stanwood, who was fatally struck from behind while stopped in rush-hour traffic on Highway 522.
Court records and law enforcement reports show the Tesla driver, a 58-year-old Snohomish County man, told state troopers he was using Autopilot and looking at his cellphone when the sedan hit Nissen's Yamaha motorcycle.
Investigators said the system had been activated about two minutes before the impact and the driver's hands were off the wheel for more than a minute despite multiple visual and audible warnings from the vehicle. The motorcycle rider was pinned under the car and died at the scene, according to the complaint.
The Tesla driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide, but prosecutors say the case remains under review and no charges have been filed.
In the lawsuit, filed by Nissen's father, Jeff Nissen, the family alleges Tesla's marketing misled drivers into overestimating the capabilities and safety of its driver-assistance systems.
"Tesla tells people that their cars can do more than they do, and people believe it. That's what we want to avoid — having people believe a lie," Nissen said in court filings.
Nissen's mother, Carrie Hutchinson, described her son as a devoted family member who dreamed of starting a family and said she wants justice and action to prevent similar tragedies.
The family is seeking unspecified damages and is asking the court to halt Tesla's sale of vehicles equipped with Autopilot until the technology can be proven safe.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
The case comes amid growing scrutiny of Tesla's Autopilot and "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)" driver assistance technologies by regulators and in civil litigation across the United States.
In August 2025, a Florida federal jury found Tesla partially responsible for a 2019 crash involving Autopilot, resulting in an award of up to $243 million in compensatory and punitive damages — the first such federal verdict against the company in an Autopilot case. Tesla has appealed that verdict.
Federal safety watchdogs have been probing Tesla's advanced driver-assistance systems for years.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) originally launched a wide-ranging investigation into Autopilot after a series of crashes, including fatal collisions with parked emergency vehicles, and ultimately issued a recall in late 2023 to update driver attentiveness measures.
Following the closure of that probe in 2024, NHTSA has opened a recall effectiveness query and additional investigations into Tesla's Full Self-Driving and crash reporting practices, including whether the company has properly filed timely reports of incidents involving these systems.
Numerous lawsuits nationwide claim Tesla's marketing and naming of Autopilot and FSD mislead consumers into believing the systems provide autonomous driving capabilities far beyond their actual performance.
Critics and plaintiffs' attorneys argue that the branding contributes to overreliance on technology that requires constant human supervision, creating dangerous conditions on public roads.
As legal and regulatory pressure intensifies, the Nissen family's suit could further spotlight the risks associated with semi-autonomous driving features and prompt calls for stricter oversight or changes to how such technology is marketed and deployed.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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