A tragic incident involving a self-driving Tesla Model 3 has led to the death of a teenage honors student and his father, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the boy’s mother. The vehicle reportedly veered off the road without warning, crashed into a tree, and then burst into flames. The lawsuit claims that the electric-powered door handles became inoperable once the battery system caught fire, preventing both occupants from escaping or rescuers from entering the vehicle.
The incident has raised serious concerns about the safety of Tesla vehicles, as similar issues have been reported in other cases where individuals were trapped inside burning Teslas. The complaint states that the two occupants “burned to death in the thermal runaway and fire that occurred after impact.” Thermal runaway refers to a chain reaction of battery short-circuits that can lead to uncontrollable combustion, with temperatures so high they can literally pulverize a person’s bones. Battery fires are known to be more intense than gasoline fires and make it difficult for firefighters to contain the blaze.
Attorney Quinton Seay, who is representing the mother, described the situation as “very tragic and very painful.” He said that the alleged shortcomings in Tesla vehicles make them “uncrashworthy” and emphasized the need for thorough real-world testing of self-driving technology before it is used on public roads.
The incident occurred on December 23, 2024, when 14-year-old Karter Breon Smith was picked up by his father, Margarret Smith, at his mother’s home in Tallahassee, Florida, to drive to Atlanta. According to the complaint, which was filed in April 2025 in Atlanta federal court, the Tesla Model 3 was in self-driving mode when it suddenly left the road, struck a tree, and burst into flames.
The complaint states that the Tesla EDR records showed that the “Accelerator Pedal (percent)” went from 0.0 to 100.0 without any significant change in speed, and there was no record of “Service Brake” being applied. A Good Samaritan in another vehicle attempted to help but could not open the doors due to the inoperable electric handles.
“Consequently, both occupants burned to death in the thermal runaway and fire that occurred after impact,” the complaint says.
The lawsuit also criticizes Tesla’s Autopilot features, claiming they were “improperly designed” despite CEO Elon Musk’s assertions that the system is “probably better” than a human driver. The complaint alleges that thousands of Tesla drivers have relied on the self-driving technology as if it were fully autonomous, even though it is incapable of handling routine roadway scenarios without driver input.
There have been numerous reports of Tesla vehicles crashing into other vehicles or stationary objects after accelerating without driver input, according to the complaint. It further claims that the Autopilot and self-driving features may have malfunctioned or been defectively designed, contributing to the crash that killed Karter Smith.
The lawsuit also targets Tesla’s battery-pack design, stating that the company knew the system was vulnerable to post-collision thermal runaway and fire but failed to make it reasonably safe. Additionally, the complaint highlights that the door locking mechanisms rely solely on electrical power and lack a mechanical backup, making them inoperable in the event of a crash.
In September 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into Tesla door handles and their safety concerns following reports of failures after crashes. While there is a backup system that requires passengers to lift a piece of carpeting to pull a metal tab, critics argue that the layout is counterintuitive.
The lawsuit accuses Tesla of falsely reassuring customers that the “Autopilot” feature worked as intended, marketing it as ready for use on the road. It claims that consumers, including Karter’s father, relied on these representations.
Karter Smith was described by his former high school athletic director as “always smiling, laughing, and had just this impressive aura about him wherever he went.” His mother shared that he wanted to be a basketball player but also valued academics. She believed he would have been amazing in whatever path he chose.
Karter’s father, a graduate of Florida A&M University, was pursuing a doctorate at the time of the crash. Herring is seeking damages for funeral and burial expenses, compensatory damages for the emotional and physical pain experienced by her son, punitive damages to deter future misconduct by Tesla, and attorney fees.
Seay expressed hope that recent developments in litigation will allow Tesla to be held accountable for the deaths of the two individuals. He described Karter as someone who was missed by many people.
