alleged
Gilberto Alcazar Lopez and Maria Guadalupe Nieves-Lopez, California: families alleged Autopilot contributed
A Tesla Model S left a freeway at about 74 mph, ran a red light and struck a Honda Civic, killing both occupants. Prosecutors said Autosteer and Traffic-Aware Cruise Control were active; the driver pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter. The victims' families separately sued Tesla, alleging Autopilot contributed.
- Status
- Alleged, not proven
- Deaths
- 2
- Date
- 29 December 2019
- Place
- Gardena, California, United States
- AI system
- Tesla Autopilot (Autosteer + Traffic-Aware Cruise Control), Model S
- Developer / operator
- Tesla
- Named
- Gilberto Alcazar Lopez, Maria Guadalupe Nieves-Lopez
Why this case is “alleged”
No court, coroner or official investigation has yet found that Tesla Autopilot (Autosteer + Traffic-Aware Cruise Control), Model S caused or contributed to these deaths. The case is listed because it meets our standard for a credible allegation. It will move to the confirmed count only if an official body makes such a finding.
Legal status
The Tesla driver, Kevin George Aziz Riad, pleaded no contest to two counts of vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced to probation (2023), the first US felony prosecution of a driver using a partial-automation system. The families' civil suits against Tesla (Los Angeles County) were settled on confidential terms in 2025.
Notes
The driver's conviction concerns his own conduct and makes no finding about Autopilot, so it doesn't make this case confirmed.
Sources
- Driver to stand trial in Tesla autopilot crash which killed two in Gardena
- Tesla settles two California Autopilot suits after recent Florida loss