--- title: "Tesla Settles Lawsuit Over Fatal 2021 Crash Involving Model Y" description: "Tesla has settled a lawsuit with the estate of Clyde Leach, who died in a 2021 crash involving a Model Y. The settlement terms remain undisclosed, but Tesla denies any wrongdoing, attributing the cras" type: "news" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/236913454.md" published_at: "2025-04-22T07:47:51.000Z" --- # Tesla Settles Lawsuit Over Fatal 2021 Crash Involving Model Y > Tesla has settled a lawsuit with the estate of Clyde Leach, who died in a 2021 crash involving a Model Y. The settlement terms remain undisclosed, but Tesla denies any wrongdoing, attributing the crash to driver error. This news follows concerns from crash victims' families about the oversight of autonomous vehicle systems. Tesla continues to promote its autonomous driving capabilities despite criticism. TSLA shares are currently trading at $227.50 on NASDAQ. **Tesla Inc.** TSLA has settled a lawsuit with the estate of 72-year-old **Clyde Leach**, who was killed in an accident when their Tesla Model Y crashed into an Ohio gas station in 2021. **What Happened:** A court filing in San Francisco on Monday revealed that **Elon Musk**'s EV giant reached an agreement to settle the lawsuit, which was scheduled to go on trial in April 2026. However, the terms of the settlement weren't made public, according to Reuters. The lawsuit claimed that Leach's Tesla Model Y experienced ‘sudden acceleration' which led to the vehicle slamming into a gas station pillar. The crash caused the victim blunt force trauma, burns, and other injuries, which led to their death. Tesla has denied any wrongdoing and claims the Model Y was ‘state-of-the-art' with no manufacturing defects or design problems, the report says. The company has maintained that the crash occurred due to driver error. **Why It Matters:** News of the settlement comes in as Tesla crash victims' families had written to U.S. Transportation Secretary **Sean Duffy** in March, urging independent probes into the accidents. "We are deeply concerned that NHTSA’s oversight of autonomous vehicle systems may be weakened,” the letter stated. The letter also expressed concerns about Musk's influence within the U.S. government, as the billionaire also heads the DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency. Elsewhere, Tesla has been touting its autonomous driving capabilities, with Musk claiming that a Tesla car will drive itself to people's houses this year. However, experts have criticized Tesla's FSD and claim that the system isn't as advanced as **Alphabet Inc.'s** GOOG GOOGL Waymo. FSD is crucial for Tesla as the company plans to roll out its Cybercab ride-hailing services in Austin, Texas. However, **Donald Trump**'s tariffs have reportedly caused a disruption to the company's plans as Cybercab's production has been affected. **Price Action:** TSLA is currently trading at $227.50 on the NASDAQ, according to Benzinga Pro data. *Check out more of Benzinga's Future Of Mobility coverage by* *following this link* **Read Next:** - Nio, XPeng Supplier Hesai Group Announces Next-Gen LiDAR For Level 3 Autonomous Driving *Photo courtesy: Shutterstock* ### Related Stocks - [TSLA.US - Tesla](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLA.US.md) ## Related News & Research | Title | Description | URL | |-------|-------------|-----| | Elon Musk Says NASA Will Account For Only 5% Of SpaceX's Revenue In 2026: 'I Love NASA, But...' | Elon Musk stated that NASA will only account for 5% of SpaceX's revenue in 2026, with the Starlink satellite internet se | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/275306622.md) | | Chinese vacuum maker Dreame pushes its planned EV with Super Bowl ad | Dreame Technology, a Chinese robot vacuum maker, aired a $10 million Super Bowl ad for its upcoming electric luxury car, | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/275282457.md) | | Tesla, Inc. $TSLA Stock Position Cut by Florida Financial Advisors LLC | Florida Financial Advisors LLC has reduced its stake in Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) by 53.7% in Q3, now holding 4,929 shar | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/275973527.md) | | Tesla China hires Autopilot Test Engineer amid continued FSD rollout preparations | Tesla is hiring an Autopilot Test Engineer in Lingang, Shanghai, indicating ongoing preparations for the Full Self-Drivi | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/275882695.md) | | Musk's AI chatbot Grok's US market share jumps amid sexualized images backlash, data shows | Grok, Elon Musk's AI chatbot, has increased its U.S. market share to 17.8% from 14% in December, despite facing backlash | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/275946789.md) | --- > **Disclaimer**: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.