Tesla and its controversial Autopilot driver assistance system are facing another trial in California as they defend against a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Walter Huang, an Apple engineer who tragically lost his life in a crash involving his Tesla Model X in 2018. The trial comes after two previous trials in California where Tesla was acquitted.

The fatal incident occurred on March 23, 2018, when Huang's Model X collided with a concrete divider on US Highway 101. It is alleged that Huang had put his trust in Tesla's Autopilot system, believing it to be safer than human-operated vehicles. The lawsuit claims that Tesla's designed-in programs and systems should have eliminated the risk of harm or injury caused by the vehicle failing to drive at safe speeds, failing to stay within marked travel lanes, or failing to avoid obstacles while on the highway.

However, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation revealed that Tesla's Autopilot system was not much different from other vehicles with adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping capabilities. The investigation also found that Huang had previously experienced instances where his Model X veered towards hazards on the road in the weeks leading up to the fatal crash.

Tesla argues that Huang's lack of attention was a contributing factor in the crash, claiming that he was playing a game on his phone at the time of the incident. Records obtained from one of his phones showed that Huang regularly played a game called "Three Kingdoms" during his commute, including the week leading up to the crash. However, no log entries related to the game were recorded in the final 17 minutes.

The NTSB investigation also placed blame on Tesla for its misleading marketing and lax approach to the operational design domain of the Autopilot system. The agency criticized the California highway agency, CalTrans, for its failure to replace a damaged crash attenuator that could have potentially saved Huang's life.

Huang's family filed the wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla and the state of California, alleging that the Model X lacked a properly designed system for crash avoidance and a functioning automatic emergency braking system. They claim that Tesla sold a defective product that was unreasonably dangerous when used as intended.

Tesla is accused of negligence, with the lawsuit suggesting that the company should have issued a recall or provided warnings to the public regarding the product's affected condition. The plaintiffs also reference a 2016 incident where Tesla faked an Autopilot demonstration video.

It is important to note that despite the NTSB's criticism of Tesla, their conclusions will not be shared with the jury in this trial, only the factual findings of the investigation. Previous California jury trials acquitted Tesla of wrongdoing in relation to Autopilot in 2019 and 2023.

As the wrongful death trial begins, both Tesla and the state of California will have an opportunity to present their case and defend against the allegations brought forth by Huang's family. The proceedings will shed further light on the responsibility and accountability of companies in ensuring the safety of their autonomous driving systems.