Tesla Quietly Settles Unexpected Acceleration Lawsuit In Model Y Fatal Crash

Tesla settled a wrongful death lawsuit involving a 2021 Model Y crash and fatality. The electric car allegedly accelerated unexpectedly, crashing into a gas station pillar. Financial terms of Tesla’s settlement in the Model Y case remain confidential. Tesla has settled a wrongful death lawsuit involving the 2021 death of a Model Y driver, likely in an effort to avoid the drama of a high-profile trial. While the exact terms of the settlement remain under wraps, it seems Tesla decided it was easier to pay up than continuing to fight it in US courts. In April 2021 2021, 72-year-old Clyde Leach was driving his Tesla Model Y in Ohio when it apparently accelerated unexpectedly and speared off the road. It then slammed into a pillar at a gas station. Leach reportedly died from burns, blunt force trauma, and other injuries. His estate filed the wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla, with the case initially scheduled to go to trial in April 2026. Read: Someone Already Crashed A 2026 Tesla Model Y Juniper After Only 197 Miles In a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, both Leach’s estate and Tesla confirmed that a settlement had been reached for all claims. The original lawsuit alleged that prior to the deadly impact, the Model Y’s automatic emergency braking system did not engage, nor did it deploy any other automation and safety mechanisms. Additionally, Leach’s estate claimed Tesla was aware of “numerous complaints of sudden acceleration” in its vehicles prior to the 2021 incident. As we have seen in other instances in the past, Tesla denied the allegations, maintaining that Leach was solely responsible for the crash. In October last year, Leach’s estate asked a San Francisco judge to sanction Tesla for stalling efforts to reach a settlement. They said a deal had been reached for a confidential amount, but later learned Tesla’s designee could not approve a settlement on his own. This is not the first time that Tesla has settled a wrongful death lawsuit in the United States. In April 2024, the company settled a lawsuit filed by the family of Walter Huang, who was killed in 2018 while driving his Model X with the Autopilot features engaged.