Hacker uncovers ‘missing’ Tesla Autopilot data in deadly crash, triggering $243M verdict to victims families | Latest Tech News
A Miami jury has ordered Tesla to pay $243 million over a deadly 2019 Autopilot crash in Florida after a hacker sipping on a Venti-size sizzling chocolate at a local Starbucks uncovered key vehicle data that the company had claimed it couldn’t discover.
The verdict, delivered last month in federal court, held Tesla partially liable for the Key Largo wreck that killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and left her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, severely injured.
Jurors noticed evidence displaying that Tesla’s own systems recorded a “collision snapshot” in the moments before the crash — data the company insisted was lacking until a hacker extracted it from the car’s Autopilot laptop at a Starbucks, according to the Washington Post.
A deadly 2019 crash involving a Tesla was the subject of a lawsuit introduced by the families of the victims. The image above reveals the second a Tesla rammed into a parked vehicle in Key Largo, Fla., in 2019. Singleton Schreiber
Jurors noticed evidence displaying that Tesla’s own systems recorded a “collision snapshot” in the moments before the crash. Singleton Schreiber
Tesla had argued the crash was brought about totally by driver George McGee, who admitted he was utilizing Autopilot when he regarded down to grab a cellphone.
The company told jurors its handbook makes clear that drivers must keep alert and that “this crash had nothing to do with Tesla’s Autopilot technology.”
But the jury sided in half with Angulo and the Benavides household, which accused Tesla of deceptive them for years about what data have been obtainable.
Tesla was held partially liable for a Key Largo wreck that killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon (proper) and left her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, severely injured. Family Handout
The hacker, identified online as @greentheonly, recovered the deleted snapshot last fall. He discovered the file “within minutes” and confirmed it had been transmitted to Tesla’s servers immediately after the wreck.
The reconstructed data confirmed the Tesla’s cameras noticed a vehicle roughly 170 ft away and a pedestrian about 116 ft out, as the car plotted a path through the couple’s parked truck.
Tesla’s trial attorney, Joel Smith, admitted the company had been “clumsy” but denied misconduct.
“We didn’t think we had it, and we found out we did … this is an amazingly helpful piece of information,” he said.
Dillon Angulo, who was injured in a 2019 crash involving a Tesla Model S working on Autopilot, receives treatment in a hospital at an unknown location in this handout image obtained by GWN on Aug. 4, 2025. via REUTERS
Plaintiffs’ legal professionals countered that Tesla not only failed to warn the driving force that the highway was ending but also “deceived” investigators about data it had “before the cops even arrived.”
The Miami verdict marked a uncommon courtroom defeat for Tesla’s driver-assist technology. The company has gained other Autopilot circumstances and quietly settled a number of more, but legal professionals say this one cracked open Tesla’s secretive crash data systems in a means that resonated with jurors.
“The message from the jury is that ‘You did something wrong, change what you’re doing,’” attorney Don Slavik, who has a number of Autopilot circumstances pending, told the Washington Post.
The Angulo and Benavides families accused Tesla of deceptive them for years about what data have been obtainable. Family Handout
Already, the ruling is reverberating past Florida. A Texas shareholder lawsuit cites the Miami verdict to allege Tesla defrauded buyers over its autonomy claims.
In California, another deadly crash case tied to Autopilot is set for trial this fall, with plaintiffs’ attorneys vowing to search a verdict “north of a billion dollars.”
Tesla has requested the decide to throw out the Miami verdict or order a new trial, arguing that the data dispute was “irrelevant.”
The company vows to appeal if crucial, retaining alive the legal battle over who bears duty when experimental software program collides with distracted driving.
For Angulo and the Benavides household, the judgment was less about money than exposing Tesla’s handling of the case.
“We have this relief that the world knows, but it doesn’t change anything for us,” said Naibel’s sister, Neima.
Tesla was accused of not only failing to warn the driving force that the highway was ending but of having “deceived” investigators about data it had “before the cops even arrived.” via REUTERS
“My sister is not here. And nothing will bring her back.”
The Post has sought remark from Tesla.
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