Elon Musk and an autopilot critic sought as witnesses in Tesla crash trial

The first trial over Tesla's Autopilot technology responsibility in a fatal crash will call on both founder Elon Musk and a vocal critic of driving assist. — REUTERS

The first trial to determine whether Tesla Inc.’s Autopilot technology led to a fatal car crash may require jurors to weigh testimony from founder Elon Musk against criticism of the driver-assistance system by Mary "Missy” Cummings, a US government safety adviser.

The lawyers of the family of Jeremy Banner, 50, who died in 2019 when his Tesla Model 3 collided with a semi-trailer truck on a Florida highway, included Musk on a list of potential witnesses for the trial, set to start in January, court filings show.

They also said the family hired Cummings, a Duke University professor and senior adviser to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.