By Suzie Ziegler
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas — Five Texas police officers are suing Tesla over injuries they sustained in February when a Tesla Model X crashed into them, according to KPRC Houston. The car reportedly was in the ‘Autopilot’ function at the time of the crash.
According to KPRC, the lawsuit alleges Tesla hasn’t done enough to address issues with its Autopilot system. The suit claims all officers were badly injured.
“The officers want to hold Tesla accountable, and force Tesla to publicly acknowledge and immediately correct the known defects inherent in its Autopilot and collision avoidance systems, particularly as those impact the ongoing safety of our nation’s first responders,” the suit reads in part.
The officers are seeking damages between $1 million to $20 million for injuries and permanent disabilities, according to KPRC.
The suit also says the Autopilot system has been linked to 12 other crashes in the U.S. involving first responders.
[RELATED: Feds investigating Tesla’s autopilot after multiple crashes with emergency vehicles]
Tony Buzbee, whose law firm filed the suit, said that the flashing lights on police cars could be giving the Autopilot trouble.
“Upon research, what we have discovered is, this is happening all over the country,” Buzbee told KPRC. “Apparently the defect that exists is when the police lights are flashing it makes the Tesla on autopilot not detect the vehicle.”
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