A Texas man died in a burning Tesla Cybertruck. Now his family is suing.

In August, a Texas man died after he couldn't escape a Cybertruck that caught fire after a crash. His family is now suing Tesla in a wrongful death lawsuit that alleges the automaker was negligent in the design and manufacturing of the Cybertruck.  The lawsuit, which also names a Mont Belvieu bar that is accused of failing in its duty to refrain from serving alcohol to obviously intoxicated patrons, was filed in Harris County on June 13. According to the lawsuit, Michael Sheehan was driving a Tesla Cybertruck in Baytown on August 5, 2024 when the vehicle left the road, struck a culvert and caught fire.  The lawsuit alleges the crash forces were survivable, but the Cybertruck is "defectively designed." The suit claimed occupants can't open doors once power is lost and Tesla provided insufficient warnings or training for occupants to have a safe exit after a crash.

Free incinerator

Tesla should be forced to make safety video like airliners for emergency exit.

when you are burning alive inside your car and your car have 10 step with 3 skill check to open a freakin door.

Yeah I was gonna say "is this the inferno cybertruck (5,000 degrees), and disintegrated the poor dudes bones by 7 cm?" Turns out I was unfortunately right may he RIP :/ and I think we know elon won't give two shits about it and if he does? its because his ketamine wore off for about 10 minutes

I thought that is what Texas conservative Cybertruck owners wanted? To die licking the boot of a billionaire imbecile. Weird how they all turn cry baby snowflake when they burn alive in a dumpster.

No door handles designs should have been banned.

I'm just glad the piece of shit drunk driver never harmed anyone else when he crashed. I hope the county sues his estate to pay for any damage he caused the culvert, road and the cost of any attempted fire rescue. I'm glad he was in a wank-truck - another vehicle he may have survived to do this again.

I have been thinking for some time that one possible route to Musk's downfall would be a case with huge damages being awarded. [Courts upheld people upset by things, albeit very upsetting things, said by Alex Jones, being awarded $1.1B in damages](https://www.reuters.com/legal/alex-jones-cant-avoid-sandy-hook-verdicts-bankruptcy-judge-2023-10-19/). There must be thousands of people with legitimate grievances against Musk, many of them involving death or injury. Maybe some of them should band together, get in touch with the lawyers who took on Alex Jones, and go for it!

I have seen and heard of a few stories about when the front quarter panel get impacted if destroys the front door hinges so they can’t open. Poor design

Texas conservatives tend to be loud mouths who do not follow what they preach. Especially when it comes to "ambulance chasing". They always preach "personal responsibility" but the moment it hits themselves, this is out the door and the lawsuits against the barista who served one beer too many are launched (and of course, the lawsuit against the car maker). FWIW, I think that any car maker who builds a vehicle that traps you to burn to death should be sued but the bar? GTFO.

Pretty sure it's illegal to sue tezler in TX, Governor Hot Wheels just hasn't had the bill drawn up yet.

Lol shocked pikachu face

Judge: Sorry, you were dumb enough to buy a vehicle without door handles... Next!

You forgot the best statistic... >An analysis released earlier this year found that the[ rate of fire fatalities](https://www.chron.com/culture/article/cybertruck-ford-pinto-20160527.php) in the Cybertruck's first year is higher than what the notorious Ford Pinto saw during its nine-year production life.

I can imagine the sequence of events... Cocky (drunk) driver, hits the "go" pedal off a light, the instant torque and crazy power accellerates the CT faster then his feeble brain can react. Loss of control, crash. The airbags deploy, adding to his confusion and disorientation. Muscle-memory kicks in, he grasps for the door handle and... Nothing. In his disorientated state he thinks, maybe he didn't pull hard enough... but the digital door release offers little resistance, certainly nothing mechanical unlatches. He passenger starts coughing as smoke fills the cabin. Panic sets in... he hammers on the "bullet-proof" glass with his fist in a feeble attempt to break the glass. He starts to cough too... Vague memories of a override handle to open the door manually, but he can't quite remember the details... plus with all the smoke, he can't see where it might be, he fumbles around on the door trying to find something - anything- mechanical on this digital death-trap... a final fit of coughing... just before he passes out, he thinks: "Why didn't I read the manual, those Tesla Fanbois will blame me for this..."

Ya. Unfortunately that's what it'll probably take. Seatbelts weren't added to all cars because manufacturers care about their customers. As we see more incidents of people dying or kids being trapped in cars with electronic door releases. Hopefully, easy mechanical overrides will be mandated.

Geeeeeez that's embarrassing

Topping up my wine glass reading this...these words are triggering...cybertruck, drunk man, Texas, fire, lawsuit, blame....there is a theme here but the wine is doing strange things to my head.

> just before he passes out, he thinks: "I love the car though"

But its not his fault. You don’t understand the bar didn’t stop him from getting drunk. Its their job to babysit a grown ass adult!

I would wonder if they read the owners manual to find the manual release? There was another one in the article stating California, I think… but I still have to ask the question, does anyone know where the manual release is? Yeah I understand that in an accident you may not be thinking clearly and know you need to use the manual release, but anyway … that’s my .02

Can both parties lose the law suit? Cybertrucks are trash and dangerous but the dude driving drunk was way more dangerous to others than the cybertruck was. Fuck drunk drivers. Also gotta love his family trying to place blame elsewhere other than their family member who decided to drive drunk. Glad his decision only impacted himself and not others like so many of these events do.

>The lawsuit, which also names a Mont Belvieu bar that is accused of failing in its duty to refrain from serving alcohol to obviously intoxicated patrons, This shouldn't be the bar's fault. It's the driver's fault. Also the fault of how America designs suburbs but that's a story for another time.

>I thought that is what Texas conservative Cybertruck owners wanted? To die licking the boot of a billionaire imbecile. >Weird how they all turn cry baby snowflake when they burn alive in a dumpster. Geez..that was so on point...I felt the burn. LMMFAO....

I hate that part of the law. The logic is Walmart is liable for selling a baseball bat to an obviously whatever person if they misuse it. People make choices, the people selling them shit aren't making the choices for them.

“Elon is a genius!”

Yeah it's all really dumb. Outside of not selling guns to people who tell you "I'm gonna hurt someone" I think the law needs to chill out.

The person chose to drive drunk and also buy a cybertruck Not exactly A list material here and he made his own grave, not exactly a rip situation when they ignorantly did it to themselves and put everyone else in danger at the same time Good riddance is more appropriate

A basic need in a car is the ability for someone not familiar with it to be able to exit in an emergency using only muscle memory - it could be dark, there could be smoke, they could be blinded by blood, etc. Every car should be mandated to have a mechanical handle of identical shape and size in a position within a 6 inch diameter circle, to be defined, on every passenger door. If auto makers want to be fancy and have a button release, they can have that too, but every car door should be required to have a mechanical pull release. \-Mechanical design engineer

How is there not a legislation or SAE spec or safety requirement for these things. How does a product get to market with several safety issues as bad a the ones on the truck. Like sharp edges and the door handles. .Why do we always react to problems vs stoping them them before they are made.

Lmao looks like being a pure dumbass runs in the entire family.

When the Cybertruck has the same passenger survivability of a Russian MBT… who knew when you ride in a tank you ride in a coffin.

I'd buy a pinto before a tesla

The handle is right by the button. But you have to know it, I guess.

Power required for door operation is a stupid design no matter what company does it. Needs to go or be outlawed iMO

It's stupid and dangerous, no matter what car company does it. I'd be so unbelievably angry if this was my relative.

Grim, but LMAO 🤣 How is this vehicle still allowed to be sold and be on the road???

Well good thing Tesla will sue them for making this public! But seriously they really do sue people for talking bad about them like this that’s why you don’t see so many stories.

> The lawsuit alleges the crash forces were survivable I find this point interesting. If I recall correctly, there was a crash test video released and it showed that the truck didn't absorb much of the impact. Does this still count as defective design? Can/Will Tesla attack this point and say that, no, he probably didn't survive the crash?

That would be hilarious - " I think you'll find that the prosecution's argument does not hold, since our shitty car would have killed him instantly in the crash."

That expectation is a cultural thing in my experience of travel. Japan will serve you drinks until you die sitting at the bar. Australia regulated "responsible service of alcohol" so firmly that the current generation expects nothing less.

Makes you wonder why this 'special advisor' for doge cut groups that investigate things like this.. no wonder at all.

The oven mode (supervised) is an Easter Egg.

Leave the bar alone. Adults are responsible for their own fuckups.

"fuck the experts" \-a junky appointed by a rapist is it any surprise your cars assplode then spitefully cremate you?

I always wonder if you people listen to yourselves talk.

do you?

Yeah probably if I’m wishing people burning alive in a dumpster

show me the exact part where he wished that to happen

Most likely the manual is only available on the console which doesn’t work without power.

I know you said it as a joke but I can imagine that it may lead to something like this because if authorities order a recall indicating that passengers don't know how to unlock the door in an emergency situation, Tesla would be forced to either call each Tesla to the shop to change the panel design OR make an over the air update playing a video showing how to unlock the door before the car starts driving. Considering that Cybertrucks are selling like shit, Tesla might just go for the cheapest solution.

This, 100 percent. Like the bar is somehow responsible for how drunk you are and whether you drive?? People aren't always falling on the floor when they get overserved too

Drunk driving will do that even in a Cadillac.

I don’t believe he had to say it explicitly.

Holy smokes

It should only be the bars fault if they 100% knew the person was going to drive. The likelihood of being able to prove that is negligible.

Manual is available online, and if it’s a new car, I’d definitely be trying to find the manual lever. First damn thing I did when I bought my Y and found it in the online version of the manual

He kinda does if you are going to try and pull him up on it.

Wishing violence or death upon people based on their political opinions is wrong, but I bet he disagrees.

Bet all you like. To the rest of us, it looks an awful lot like projection.

“Cry like a snowflake when you burn alive” but I’m projecting. Good talk bud

Too soon? 🔥

The defense expert will probably bring up the fact that 'there is no minimum established threshold for injury'. Eggshell theory is a whole thing. That said, there are generally established values where most people die and that can be calculated from pre-crash telematics and by measuring crush on the unibody.

You thought Musk gutting federal agencies was a coincidence?

They also sold assloads of Pintos- and in comparison no cybertrucks The pintos embarassment wasnt so much that it was more of a death trap on a road full of death traps but Ford bean counters could have prevented many of the fires with a simply part and decided paying off the few people burned to death was cheaper. A cold move but driver and passenger death rates were quite high back then.

So your trying to tell me someone who was drunk and driving a vehicle and was unable to driver the vehicle responsibly and legally has the ability and capability to understand how to open the door but not avoid a collision very interesting concept.

You can open the door ina caddy without power. No special tricks.

*Ejects a D20 into the cabin*

A latch right next to the button is a special trick?

People die in crashes. 4 people have died in cyber trucks ... hardly an epidemic. What ever happened to personal responsibility... doors on cars jam in accidents all the time

Fake news. 4 have died people die in car crashes

Ok, you're just making stuff up... First and foremost, this story is complete bs... Every Tesla has a manual door lever just like every other car. This is a frivelous lawsuit and the family lawyers didn't bother to do any research whatsoever. If this lawsuit even exists it will be dismissed as soon as a judge sees the Tesla owners manual worth the photo and instructions on pulling the plainly obvious door handle. Show us any evidence whatsoever of any of your claims... Go ahead and prove any such incidents are conservatives.  Then show statistics proving the percentage of this type of lawsuit or complaint is overwhelmingly coming from conservatives...

All you have to do is pull the door handle... Just like every other car. It's right on the armrest, again like every other car.  And yes, it's a mechanical manual door handle...

Manual door handle is right on the armrest... Like every other car.  This story is a lie.

Any car hit hard enough in the right spot does that... That's why the jaws of life exist... Teslas consistently have the highest crash safety rating.

Considering that the manual door handle is right on top of the armrest.... I think Tesla passed your test.  First few times I rode in a Tesla, I instinctively used the manual door handle instead of the electronic button...

Oh sure man. There is a time in history when an another car was constantly catching on fire in accidents and it was the pinto. Nothing to see here! Enjoy schilling ✌️

NTSB 5-star rating… anything can be bought with enough money in the USA.

The fact that you had to read a manual to figure it out is the reason this is a problem. Form over function.

False. They have Manual door releases. People are just too stupid.

Finally someone with a brain. 🧠

Tesla powered down so door can not be electrically opened, but why there are no physical door opener in most Tesla cars. On some Tesla cars, these door openers are so hidden by design that you won’t know how to open it, or a carefully hidden string to pull in an emergency. Why hide these physical opener or make it difficult to open them? That makes Tesla a dangerous car to own!

Its literally pulling the door handle. The idiot was drunk and most likely knocked out and burned alive. Anyone stupid enough in this post to believe Teslas dont have a manual door handle needs to be evaluated for science purposes. The fact people are this dumb in 2025 is astonishing.

funfact, tesla door handle are electric handle as in its basically a button to tell the control system to move electric motor/actuator which then open the door latch. how is this different with other cars? other car door handle are mechanically directly connected to the latch. so all you need to pull the handle and the pulley action of moving the door lever will mechanically open the door latch. in case of Tesla door, IF the electrical system on the fritz or dead, pulling the door handle would do jack shit as the electric motor/actuator aren't given order to open by the system (because the system on the fritz). hence the current problem. \--- also funfact, tesla also have mechanical way to open the door, its just cleverly hidden by interior covers which require you to find it, remove the cover, put your hand in, find the wire in it, pull that wire, and then the door would be open. hence my "it require a skill check to open" jokes. \--- there are multiple accident reports of either the car OS is on the fritz due to error or crash and the electric door can't open. or tesla fully ran out of power and again, the electric door handle can't open the door.

Tesla has a manual door release to open it manually….

I think he means like if you’re pretty drunk. You can still open a god damn door. It’s at night. You can’t see inside the thing cuz there’s no lights. And you have to search to pull a little shitty leaver that pops out as you push the door open. And guess what??? The back door for children is a string like handle you gotta lift up a stupid padding just to fish it out to open the door. Plus the crash if drunk or not really can confuse a person. And guess what?? The damn thing is on fire and it burns hotter than Cindy Crawford’s prime Pepsi commercial.  Catch my drift?

Pollacks have been working for 9 hours to repost this on Google.

They should be sued for how ugly the Cybertruck looks and we have to look at them every day.

Especially when they’re drunk…

He was also allegedly drunk, given the part of the lawsuit accusing the bar of serving him alcohol.

No it should be the person who got drunk

Too bad he didn’t get FSD and let it drive him home, even drunk. FSD could save lives.

The manual release for the two front doors are under the electronic release. Maybe if he wasn’t drunk he could have made it or read the electronic owners manual?

That's the kinda bed you hafta TRY to outshit.