Thursday 12 March 2026 15:17 GMT Bookmark Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more A Texas woman is suing Tesla, alleging that the company has been "negligent" in keeping Elon Musk as its CEO, after her Autopilot, attempted to drive straight over the edge of a Houston overpass and crashed into a concrete barrier. The lawsuit, filed in Harris County, seeks more than $1 million in damages for injuries sustained in the crash. According to the complaint, Justine Saint Amour was driving her recently purchased Cybertruck on Interstate 69 in August last year, when the vehicle failed to follow a right‑hand curve on a Y‑shaped overpass. Amour attempted to disable the self‑driving mode, but the truck continued toward a concrete barrier and collided with it. The suit claims the vehicle’s system malfunctioned and that Tesla misrepresented the safety and capabilities of its driver‑assistance technology. open image in gallery A Cybertruck outside a Tesla dealership. A new case describes the manufacturer’s CEO, Elon Musk, as ‘an aggressive and irresponsible salesman’ (Getty Images) The lawsuit accuses Tesla of overstating the reliability of its Autopilot features and describes Musk’s involvement in the system’s design as “reckless and dangerous.” It goes on to say Tesla was negligent in “allowing Elon Musk to override the concerns of engineers at Tesla”. It alleges Musk rejected engineers’ recommendations to include additional safety redundancies, such as LiDAR sensors used by competing automakers, and instead relied on “cheap video cameras”. Furthermore, it characterizes Musk as “an aggressive and irresponsible salesman, who has a long history of making dangerous design choices, and over-promising the features of his products.” The complaint also claims the Cybertruck lacked an adequate backup braking system and that Tesla failed to provide sufficient warnings or instructions to prevent accidents. The legal action is the latest in a series of lawsuits targeting Tesla over alleged safety issues. Tesla has faced increasing scrutiny from federal regulators over its Full Self‑Driving (FSD) and Autopilot systems, including concerns raised by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This lawsuit now raises concerns that Tesla is allegedly using nondisclosure agreements that could hinder safety investigations by silencing "drivers about FSD failures”. Amour’s attorney, Bob Hilliard, told the Houston Chronicle that the crash was “not an accident,” but rather “a foreseeable result of choices Tesla made knowingly, repeatedly, and without regard for the people on the road.” open image in gallery