Tesla settles lawsuit over fatal Full Self-Driving pedestrian crash in Arizona
Tesla settled a lawsuit over a fatal 2023 crash in Arizona in which a 71-year-old woman was struck and killed by a Model Y operating on Full Self-Driving while she was outside her vehicle directing traffic. The incident prompted a federal safety investigation by NHTSA into how the system operates in poor visibility.
What happened
In 2023 in Arizona, 71-year-old Johna Story stepped out of her car to direct traffic around a collision caused by sun glare. Story was then hit and killed by a Tesla Model Y that was using Full Self-Driving.
Reported impact
This was the first reported incident of a pedestrian fatality related to Tesla's automated driving technology.
Index analysis
The crash led to a federal investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which examined how Full Self-Driving operates in poor visibility conditions.
Governance controls
Story's family filed a lawsuit against Tesla in 2023 following the incident. Tesla has settled the lawsuit, though terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.