Parents sue Tesla over Cybertruck crash, claim door trapped Krysta

The parents of a 19 year old college student who died in a Tesla Cybertruck crash last November have filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging the vehicle’s electronic door design trapped their daughter inside as the truck burned. The suit, filed Thursday in Alameda County Superior Court, names Tesla as a defendant and contends the Cybertruck’s battery dependent door system and hard to find manual releases prevented occupants from escaping the November 27 collision in Piedmont, California.

Krysta Tsukahara, a second year student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, was one of three people who died when the Cybertruck struck a retaining wall and a tree and caught fire. The driver, 19 year old Soren Dixon, and passenger Jack Nelson, 20, also were killed. A fourth passenger escaped after a witness broke the windshield and pulled him to safety. The California Highway Patrol said its preliminary investigation found alcohol, drug impairment, and excessive speed contributed to the crash; toxicology reports for the driver showed alcohol, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

The Tsukahara family’s complaint alleges Krysta survived the initial impact with only minor injuries but died of...