Tesla driver burned to death because first responders couldn’t open doors, lawsuit claims

A family is suing Tesla for the wrongful death of a man who suffocated and burned to death after he crashed his Model S, alleging that the car’s hi-tech features trapped the victim in the vehicle.

First responders in south Florida allegedly couldn’t reach Omar Awan, 48, because the vehicle’s retractable door handles failed to “auto present” after he lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a palm tree, at which point the car’s lithium ion battery caught fire. 

Awan had reportedly leased the Model S, which Tesla boasted had one of the highest safety ratings of any automobile tested at the time, because of his concern for the environment, claims family attorney Stuart Grossman, in a lawsuit filed earlier this month.

“The fire engulfed the car and burned Dr. Awan beyond recognition, all because the Model S has inaccessible door handles, no other way to open the doors, and an unreasonably dangerous fire risk,” the complaint reads. The company’s lawyers have yet to respond in court or to media requests. 

According to the Broward County autopsy report, Awan died as a result of “inhalation of products of combustion with a contributory cause of death of thermal injuries,” while the medical examiner said the victim “was not identifiable on scene.”

The car was towed away from the scene of the horror crash after firefighters extinguished the blaze and Awan’s remains were removed. The vehicle subsequently reignited and burned again in the junkyard.

Previously, CCTV footage showed a Tesla spontaneously combusting in a parking garage in Shanghai.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!