Tesla is facing a wrongful death lawsuit following a deadly crash involving a 2024 Model S equipped with Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) features. The crash occurred on September 14, 2024, on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey, killing David and Michele Dryerman, both 54, and their 17-year-old daughter, Brooke. The family was returning from a music festival when the vehicle veered off the road in Woodbridge Township, striking a sign, guardrail, and concrete bridge support.
Filed in federal court in Camden, New Jersey, the lawsuit alleges Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) was “defective and unreasonably dangerous,” causing the car to leave its lane and fail to apply emergency braking. The plaintiffs, including the victims' surviving son Max Dryerman, are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
The complaint also accuses Tesla of misleading safety claims, referencing Elon Musk’s 2016 statement that Autopilot was “probably better” than human drivers. It argues that many Tesla owners trust the technology as capable of full self-driving, despite Tesla’s own statements that drivers must remain attentive and keep hands on the wheel.
In December 2023, Tesla recalled over 2 million vehicles in the U.S. under pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to improve Autopilot safety protocols. Despite these measures, the lawsuit claims Tesla failed to adequately warn the Dryermans about the system’s limitations.
Tesla has not yet commented on the case, Dryerman et al v Tesla Inc, filed in the U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey (No. 25-11997).
The lawsuit adds to growing scrutiny over Tesla’s autonomous driving technology, which remains under federal investigation for multiple fatal crashes involving its vehicles.


Apple App Store Injunction Largely Upheld as Appeals Court Rules on Epic Games Case
Judge Orders Return of Seized Evidence in Comey-Related Case, DOJ May Seek New Warrant
SpaceX Begins IPO Preparations as Wall Street Banks Line Up for Advisory Roles
United Airlines Flight to Tokyo Returns to Dulles After Engine Failure During Takeoff
Korea Zinc to Build $7.4 Billion Critical Minerals Refinery in Tennessee With U.S. Government Backing
Federal Judge Declines to Immediately Halt Trump’s $300 Million White House Ballroom Project
U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Amid Shift in Brazil Relations
FDA Says No Black Box Warning Planned for COVID-19 Vaccines Despite Safety Debate
Trump Sues BBC for Defamation Over Edited Capitol Riot Speech Clip
California Jury Awards $40 Million in Johnson & Johnson Talc Cancer Lawsuit
Colombia’s Clan del Golfo Peace Talks Signal Mandatory Prison Sentences for Top Leaders
Special Prosecutor Alleges Yoon Suk Yeol Sought North Korea Provocation to Justify Martial Law
Fortescue Expands Copper Portfolio With Full Takeover of Alta Copper
Treasury Wine Estates Shares Plunge on Earnings Warning Amid U.S. and China Weakness
Amazon in Talks to Invest $10 Billion in OpenAI as AI Firm Eyes $1 Trillion IPO Valuation
U.S. Pressures ICC to Limit Authority as Washington Threatens New Sanctions 



