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Tesla Settles Fatal Crash Suit Ahead of California Trial

Tesla reached a deal to resolve a lawsuit over the death of a Model S passenger in a 2016 crash, marking the second time in two months it has avoided a jury trial in California over a fatal wreck.

(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)Tesla Inc. has reached a deal to resolve a lawsuit over the death of a Model S passenger in a fiery 2016 crash, marking the second time in two months the electric vehicle maker has avoided a jury trial in California over a fatal wreck. Speckman’s boss, Kevin McCarthy, who was in the passenger seat, allegedly survived the impact but died in the blaze ignited by a battery explosion, according to his family’s complaint in state court in San Jose. In cases blaming Autopilot for crashes, the electric vehicle maker prevailed in two previous trials in California after juries found the accidents — one fatal and one not — were due to driver error rather than the company’s technology.

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