Lawsuit in Tesla Model S death

Omar Awan died in a burning Tesla Model S in the US because its doors wouldn’t open, a lawsuit alleges.

Awan lost control of his Tesla in South Florida and hit a tree in February this year, his family’s lawyers saying it wasn’t the crash that killed him though, The Washington Post reports.

After the crash, the Tesla’s lithium ion battery caught fire, according to the wrongful-death lawsuit filed in Broward County. Smoke, then flames, filled the car, suffocating Awan and burning him.

Passers-by couldn’t help because the car’s retractable door handles, which are supposed to “auto-present” when they detect a key fob nearby, malfunctioned and first responders weren’t able to open the doors and save Awan, the suit alleges.

“The fire engulfed the car and burned Dr Awan beyond recognition — all because the Model S has inaccessible door handles, no other way to open the doors, and an unreasonably dangerous fire risk,” the complaint reads.

Awan, 48, an anaesthesiologist and father of five, leased the Model S because he was environmentally sensitive and safety conscious, family attorney Stuart Grossman says.

Tesla’s public relations team did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, filed this month, and the company’s lawyers have yet to respond in court, The Washington Post adds.

Shortly after the February crash, a Tesla spokeswoman told the South Florida SunSentinel; “We are deeply saddened by this accident” but that “Tesla vehicles are engineered to be the safest cars in the world and Tesla drivers have driven more than 10 billion miles to date”.

Awan’s Tesla was transported to a tow yard after the crash but reignited and burned again, The Washington Post says.