Daijiworld Media Network- Texas
Texas, Jun 20: In a chilling and tragic development from the United States, Tesla Inc. is facing a wrongful death lawsuit after a 47-year-old man was burned alive in a Cybertruck crash, with his bones reportedly disintegrating due to the extreme heat of the blaze.
According to the lawsuit filed by the family of the victim, Michael Sheehan, the Texas resident had purchased a brand-new Tesla Cybertruck on April 25, 2024. Just 102 days later, Sheehan met a horrifying end when the vehicle veered off the road and hit a concrete culvert, triggering what experts call a “thermal runaway” — an uncontrollable reaction within the Cybertruck’s battery system that led to a fire exceeding 2,760 degrees Celsius (5,000°F).
The fire was so intense that, according to the family's attorney S. Scott West, the heat caused Sheehan’s body to shrink by eight inches and his bones to suffer thermal fracture — essentially disintegrating under the heat. West described the tragedy as “a version of hell on earth,” citing the unimaginable pain victims endure in such fires.
The lawsuit further alleges that Tesla’s design flaws were a contributing factor to Sheehan’s death. As per the claim, the Cybertruck’s electronic doors failed after the crash due to a power outage, trapping Sheehan inside, while external door handles were non-functional, leaving him no way to escape.
"If it had been virtually any other vehicle, he would have survived," said West, condemning Tesla for prioritising aesthetics over safety. He added, “This was not an accident. It was a preventable, product-driven tragedy.”
The lawsuit reveals that the family initially tried to negotiate a settlement with Tesla, but the discussions fell through, leading to the legal action.
Notably, Sheehan is believed to be the first person to die in a Cybertruck crash since the model’s launch in November 2023. Just three months after his death, a second fatal incident occurred in California, where three college students were burned to death when their Cybertruck crashed into a tree.
Since its debut, Tesla has issued eight recalls for the Cybertruck, citing issues such as malfunctioning accelerator pedals, defective windshield wipers, and problematic body panels — raising serious questions about the vehicle’s overall safety profile.
As the case heads to court, it brings to the forefront growing global concerns around electric vehicle safety, especially in the wake of high-temperature battery failures. Tesla has not issued an official response to the lawsuit at the time of this report.