Tesla Model S Vehicle Catches Fire – Again.

Electric car manufacturer Tesla made news recently regarding the safety of its vehicles following the death of a Los Angeles, California man fleeing the police. Apparently the man fled the police by stealing a Tesla Model S from the west L.A. service center. Seven other people were said to be injured when the man ran the luxury car into other vehicles driving on La Brea Avenue.

The Tesla Model S remained the “best-selling electric car for 2013” despite fire issues, including a couple of separate fires. Both fires were under suspicion as starting due to an overheated battery. U.S. regulators released the results of those investigations, however, and found that the battery did not cause the fires: “The U.S. regulators who reviewed the car safety required no changes aside from adding a titanium shield to strengthen the car’s battery pack.”

If you are an injured driver following a fire or other extraordinary occurrence, do you need to prove the reason for the occurrence in order to recover any personal injury compensation?

Generally speaking, in order to prove a defective product resulted in injury, the plaintiff (injured party) would need to prove the defect to the court. Even if U.S. regulators have found no defect in the batteries or other components the plaintiff may still gather the evidence to prove either negligence in the design, manufacture, repair, or in some other aspect of how the car’s preparation and distribution was handled.

These are highly fact-specific scenarios, and considering the technology speaking with a personal injury attorney who understands defective product lawsuits would be invaluable. We hope you do not ever become injured, but if you should, please know that the friendly staff and knowledgeable attorneys of Heiting& Irwin are here to help you.

Photo Credit: jurvetson via Compfightcc