An attorney for the family of Sevonne Huang's husband Walter, who died in a 2018 Tesla crash in Mountain View, has a message for Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
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"As a husband and father himself, I would think and I would hope that he would understand Sevonne's pain," he said.
FULL DOCUMENT: Family of Apple engineer Walter Huang sues Tesla over Autopilot crash
Sevonne lost her husband in March of 2018.
Walter was headed to his job as an Apple engineer in what he considered to be his dream car, a 2017 Tesla Model X.
The lawsuit filed by the Huang family in Santa Clara County Superior Court claims, "The autopilot feature of the Tesla turned the vehicle left, out of the designated travel lane, and drove it straight into a concrete highway median."
Walter died from his injuries later at the hospital; the Model X's batteries burst into flames. He left behind a wife and two children.
TIMELINE: ABC7 investigates deadly Tesla crash on Hwy 101 in Mountain View
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"He's a really good guy for the family and kids," said Sevonne. "We miss him so much."
Sevonne told reporters her husband complained several times in the weeks before the crash that the Autopilot kept veering toward that same barrier, and that they took the SUV into the dealer to check out the problem.
"They were unable to find it," said family attorney Mark Fong. "And they told him keep driving, and let's see if you can duplicate it and send a bug report."
EXCLUSIVE: Wife of man who died in Tesla crash gives emotional interview to I-Team
Fong says Tesla appears to be beta testing its software on live drivers.
The lawsuit claims, "The 2017 Tesla Model X constituted a defective product," and that it "was prone to episodes of unwanted, unwarranted, or un-commanded acceleration, and inadequate sensors and onboard systems to prevent it from leaving its designated travel lane."
"Our belief is that Tesla actually did know that there were problems and glitches with the car with the Autopilot," said family attorney Doris Cheng. "And nonetheless put it out there where people could become injured."
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For past reports, Tesla *said* drivers are urged to remain attentive with hands on the wheel, and to take over if the Autopilot makes a mistake.
EXCLUSIVE: : Victim who died in Tesla crash had complained about Autopilot
Mark Fong responded, "For Tesla to expect that you should recognize that the Autopilot is failing and that you need to reestablish active control over your driving and save yourself, that takes many, many seconds and by then you're injured or dead.
The Huang family is also suing CalTrans. The I-Team reported last year that a suspected drunk driver hit that same barrier at 70 miles an hour, and walked away with minor injuries. CalTrans did not repair that barrier for eleven days, until the Tesla crashed into it. CalTrans declined to comment on the lawsuit today.