Tesla sued after two die following crash into parked big rig at Florida rest stop

Family members have filed a wrongful death suit against Tesla following a crash involving a semi truck that killed a husband and wife last year.

Family members of California residents Mary Lou Seelandt, 66, and Karl Seelandt, 67, filed a lawsuit against Tesla last Tuesday in a Florida federal court, according to multiple reports. The suit alleges that the 2015 Tesla Model S was “defective” and had “malfunctioned” during the collision that killed the couple.

The crash occurred on July 6, 2022, near Gainesville, Florida.

Mary Lou Seelandt was behind the wheel of the Tesla traveling southbound on I-75 at mile marker 382, when, for unknown reasons, the Tesla left the interstate and took the exit for trucks. The Tesla then crashed into the trailer of a truck parked at the Paynes Prairie Rest Area.

Both Mary Lou Seelandt and Karl Seelandt were pronounced dead at the scene.

The truck driver, a 58 year old Florida resident, was not injured.

Shortly after the crash occurred, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirmed that a Special Crash Investigations team was deployed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.

It isn’t clear whether the Tesla’s Autopilot was in use when the crash occurred.