Sarah Saldmann, a lawyer for a taxi driver in Paris, France, said on Sunday that her client had filed legal action against Tesla Inc. In December, the taxi driver’s Tesla Model 3 crashed, killing one person.
The taxi driver did not disclose his name. Sadman said her client filed a criminal complaint with Versailles prosecutors on Friday, accusing Tesla of “putting the lives of others at risk.” The French government said days after the accident that Tesla had told the government that there was no indication that the accident stemmed from a technical malfunction.
According to witnesses, the off-duty taxi driver’s Tesla car crashed into metal stakes, a row of pay bikes and a glass-filled recycling bin, and hit pedestrians and a van before finally hitting stop. After the accident, the taxi driver told police that the car accelerated on its own and he was unable to apply the brakes. Tesla has yet to comment.