PIEDMONT, Calif. (October 6, 2025) – A teenage driver and two passengers were tragically killed when they were unable to escape a Cybertruck when it became engulfed in flames following a collision.
The driver, reportedly under the influence of alcohol and drugs, was traveling at an unsafe speed when he lost control and smashed into a tree. Three of the four people in the car, including the driver, were killed. A fourth person was pulled from the car after a rescuer smashed the bulletproof window and reached in, reported ABC.
The 2024 collision took place on Thanksgiving Eve in the San Francisco suburb of Piedmont, California. All those involved were high school friends home from college for Thanksgiving and had spent the night out together, Electrek reported. Post-crash investigations discovered that all three decedents had been under the influence at the time of the crash.
Surveillance footage released by the California Highway Patrol showed the Cybertruck rounding a curve at high speed before appearing to lose control of its rear, followed by a large flash as the Cybertruck exited the frame.
A friend traveling in another car behind the Cybertruck stopped and used a fallen tree branch to strike the passenger’s bulletproof window “ten to fifteen times” before breaking it and rescuing the sole survivor. Tragically, the other three passengers did not survive, said Electrek.
The parents of one of the passengers, Krysta Tsukahara, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla, alleging a design flaw prevented her from escaping the burning vehicle. The suit, filed October 2 by Carl and Noelle Tsukahara, claims the Cybertruck’s door system made it nearly impossible for her to get out despite suffering only non-life-threatening injuries in the crash itself, People reported.
The lawsuit further claims the girl died from burns and smoke inhalation, not from crash related injuries.
The family of Jack Nelson, another victim of the collision, filed a separate lawsuit with the same allegation.
Cybertruck doors are powered by a 12-volt battery, which can fail if the vehicle loses power in a collision. The lawsuit alleges Krysta could not locate the hidden manual release, which is positioned beneath a rubber mat at the bottom of the rear door’s storage pocket. The rear doors of Cybertrucks can only be opened from inside once power is lost, according to People.
Krysta’s parents claim in the lawsuit that she “suffered unimaginable pain and emotional distress” because she was trapped in the rear seat surrounded by flames. They are seeking punitive damages against Tesla.
