Tesla has been ordered to pay $42 million after the electric manufacturing company and one of its employees were found partially liable in a 2017 crash that left a motorcyclist partially amputated.
The crash involved a company-owned Ford Truck and a motorcycle that also left the rider of the latter with permanent disfigurement and a traumatic brain injury. Tesla and the employee, identified as Kyle Kaszuba, were ordered by an Indiana jury to pay more than $42 million in damages to the victim, identified as Christopher Dugan.
Tesla To Pay $42 Million in Damages
The Marion County jury found that the victim was 30% liable for the crash, which prompted them to reduce the award from $60 million to $42 million. Attorneys representing the motorcycle rider had reportedly been seeking an award of $191 million. This marks the latest legal challenge for the company relating to a crash.
The horrific crash occurred as the Tesla employee was operating a 2014 Ford vehicle that was owned by the company either with the permission of the firm or while working in his capacity as a Tesla employee, as alleged by Dugan in his initial complaint, according to CNBC.
Kaszuba allegedly crashed the truck that he was driving into Dugan's motorcycle, which threw the rider off and caused him to sustain devastating injuries. The complaint noted that the injuries were a "direct and proximate result of the negligence of the Defendants, Tesla, Inc., and Kyle Kaszuba."
Attorneys for the EV maker, who were from Quinn Emanuel, on the other hand, had argued that Kaszuba was not negligent in his actions. They also claimed that Dugan was closely following a vehicle that made it difficult for the Tesla staff to see him on the road. Dugan's attorney, Nick Rowley, argued that Kaszuba was rushing to get to work.
The 2017 crash occurred in the 6300 block of Rockville Road after the Tesla employee made a left turn with his truck across double yellow lines and two lanes of oncoming traffic. In written remarks, Rowley said that the EV maker's ethos can be defined by "utter disregard for accountability."
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Motorcycle Driver Left Partially Amputated
He said that Tesla refused to accept responsibility, which could result in big consequences. Rowley added that Kaszuba did not wait in line with other vehicles that were making an appropriate left-hand turn, said the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Dugan's attorney noted that the Tesla employee cut out of line, did a maneuver that was very dangerous, and showed a complete disregard for the safety of others on the road. He noted that while the verdict could not repair the harm that the crash caused, it would help provide his client with the lifetime of care and support that he now needs.
In a statement, Dugan's mother, Anna Marie, said that their family was forever grateful to the jury for its decision. It added that the motorcycle rider had to relearn how to walk and talk following the 2017 crash.
His family said that Dugan continues to suffer from severe cognitive dysfunction and the inability to fully communicate. They added that he is still unable to manage his finances, care for himself or his daughter, work, or enjoy life in any meaningful way, according to IndyStar.
