AI Scientist Sues Tesla Over Brain Injury from Alleged Safety System Failure
An internationally recognised artificial intelligence scientist has filed a product liability lawsuit against Tesla, claiming the company's "defective" safety features failed to prevent a crash that left her with a traumatic brain injury and lasting cognitive impairment. Samaneh Movassaghi, a 39-year-old San Francisco resident, alleges her Tesla Model Y's collision-avoidance systems did not activate until after another vehicle had already slammed into hers, according to court documents reviewed by The Independent.
Career Trajectory Derailed by Cognitive Impairment
The 23-page complaint describes Movassaghi as an award-winning AI expert whose work in machine learning, autonomous systems, and advanced computational research placed her "among a small fraction of world-leading AI experts." Her career, the lawsuit states, was on a "rare, early-phase trajectory of exceptional innovation and economic value" with extraordinary lifetime earning potential and societal impact.
However, the injuries sustained in the crash have "severely disrupted her professional path, derailed significant ongoing research activities, and impaired her ability to function at the elite cognitive level required in her field," the complaint continues. It notes that the AI industry demands "sustained high-precision executive functioning, rapid-cycle reasoning and uninterrupted cognitive stamina," and that even mild neurological impairment can cause "catastrophic, career-ending consequences" in advanced AI innovation.
Tesla's Sensor Decisions Under Scrutiny
The lawsuit points to Tesla's decision to eliminate radar sensors in 2021 and ultrasonic sensors in 2022, adopting a camera-only approach to advanced driver assistance systems. Despite Elon Musk and Tesla touting their cars' ability to "see" pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles and automatically brake to avoid collisions, the complaint calls this a "deliberate and reckless decision."
"Tesla chose speed over safety, public perception over truth, and profits over human lives," the lawsuit alleges. "The failures here were not mere malfunctions; they were systemic engineering defects that rendered the product unreasonably dangerous to a degree far outside normal consumer contemplation."
Attorney Dominic Flamiano, representing Movassaghi, told The Independent that a "belt-and-suspenders" system with built-in redundancy is crucial for collision-avoidance. He argued that a more robust sensor "stack" would likely have spotted the oncoming car that Movassaghi's Tesla missed and could have braked or swerved to prevent the accident.
The Crash and Its Aftermath
According to the complaint, the incident occurred on December 4, 2023, when Movassaghi was driving her white Tesla Model Y through an intersection in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood around 11:30 p.m. A black Volkswagen Passat ran a red light and T-boned her Tesla, striking the passenger side immediately behind the front wheel.
Flamiano explained that a building on one corner of the intersection rendered the Tesla's cameras ineffective, while radar could have detected objects through walls. The Automatic Emergency Braking feature allegedly did not activate until after the Tesla was broadsided. Additionally, the complaint claims the steering wheel airbag defectively deployed, exploding in Movassaghi's face and covering her in microscopic toxic particles.
The driver of the Passat told police she had looked down momentarily to put away a Kit Kat and didn't see the light change. She received a citation and was treated for leg pain, while Movassaghi was rushed to an emergency room with a brain injury.
Ongoing Effects and Legal Precedents
More than two years later, Movassaghi continues to experience neurological, physiological, and psychological effects from the collision, including:
- Impaired concentration and reduced cognitive stamina
- Emotional trauma, anxiety, and irritability
- Sleep disruption and difficulty performing complex reasoning tasks
Her earnings have reportedly taken a major hit, and her career opportunities have stalled. The lawsuit seeks general and special damages for medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost earnings, plus punitive damages and legal fees.
This case joins a growing list of legal actions against Tesla. In December, a Utah man sued after his family died when their Tesla Model X crossed a center line. Last June, a motorcyclist sued after being hit by a Tesla in Autopilot mode, and relatives of a driver incinerated in a Cybertruck also filed suit when electrically-operated doors wouldn't open after power loss.
Tesla issued a recall for the 2022 Model Y following Movassaghi's wreck, which the complaint claims confirms the company's "pre-sale knowledge of the precise safety defects" that caused her injuries. A Tesla spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
