Tesla Fails to Block Its First Jury Trial Over Fatal Crash

  • Teen crashed into wall in Florida at 116 mph, died in fire
  • Company says 18-year-old asked for removal of speed limiter
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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Tesla Inc. can’t escape a trial over claims the automaker is responsible for the death of a Florida teenager who crashed a Model S into a wall at 116 miles an hour in 2018.

A federal judge’s ruling paves the way for a trial in July, the first time Tesla will face a jury in litigation over a car crash. The electric car-maker faces a flurry of lawsuits over a spate of accidents that have also drawn increasing scrutiny from safety regulators.