Tesla Sued by Houston Police Officers Over Autopilot Crash

Five police officers at Splendora Police Department in Houston, Texas, are suing Tesla for a crash on February 27, which investigators claim was committed by a drunk driver using the company’s Autopilot feature, according to KHOU.

Essentially, the Tesla reportedly on Autopilot crashed into patrol cruisers with flashing lights on; the officers were not in their vehicles, but all sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The officers filed the lawsuit on Monday and are being represented by Attorney Tony Buzbee.

In the filing, Buzbee said, “This vehicle was on autopilot.” Buzbee continued, “When it’s on autopilot it fails to detect vehicles with flashing lights, i.e., first responders.”

The lawsuit also mentions Pappas Restaurant Group for overserving the driver alcohol.

The news comes amidst a U.S. regulator investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot, following a string of Autopilot crashes with first responders parked with their lights on.

In the investigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has sent an 11-page letter to Tesla requesting responses to a number of Autopilot-related questions. Tesla has until October 22 to either respond to the questions or to seek an extension – otherwise, it will be subject to a fine.

The police officers want Tesla to correct the alleged Autopilot program, while monetary damages are being pursued, at least $1 million USD per officer injured.

Tesla has already updated its vehicle software to now have vehicles on Autopilot to automatically slow down when emergency vehicles are detected, first seen in its 2021.24.12 update.