Overview
- On June 24, 2025 the Dryerman family filed suit in federal court in Camden, New Jersey, alleging a defective design in their 2024 Tesla Model S.
- The suit contends the car veered off the Garden State Parkway and struck a sign, guardrail and bridge support after its lane-keeping and emergency braking systems failed.
- Plaintiffs include the estates of David (54), Michele (54) and Brooke (17) Dryerman and their surviving brother Max, and they are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
- The complaint notes that the vehicle’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features were active at the time and faults Tesla’s marketing after Elon Musk said Autopilot was 'probably better' than human drivers.
- This legal action joins NHTSA investigations and follows Tesla’s December recall of over two million vehicles after regulators identified a critical safety gap in the system’s capabilities.