Tesla heads to Miami court for wrongful death trial involving Autopilot system

Tesla heads to federal court in Miami on Monday to defend its Autopilot system in a wrongful death case involving the death of a 22-year-old college student.
The lawsuit, originally filed in April 23, 2021, in the 11th Judicial Court of Florida in Miami-Dade County, builds on previous cases involving Tesla’s Autopilot system. The plaintiffs, Dillon Angulo, and the family of Naibel Benavides Leon, who was killed in the accident, are requesting punitive damages and compensation for medical costs and other expenses.
The fatal crash took place in April 2019 when a Model S Tesla equipped with the Autopilot technology struck a parked vehicle in Key Largo, Florida, killing Leon and gravely injuring Angulo.
The trial will be a major test for the EV maker, which has had to contend with slumping sales and a hit to its stock price after CEO Elon Musk spearheaded the launch of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He. has since stepped back from leading DOGE.
The lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the case did not respond to CBS MoneyWatch’s request for comment.

WHO SHOULD I CALL?

For over two decades, the lawyers at Suarez & Montero have been helping accident victims and their families collect just financial compensation and see justice for their injuries and losses. Call our law firm today at (305) 631-1911 to speak with one of our personal injury lawyers who will be able to inform you of your eligibility towards compensation for your injuries and losses that you may have incurred due to a recent accident.

Why CDL and Immigration Compliance Matter

Operating a trucking company today is not what it was 20 years ago. There are many more rules, constant oversight required, costs are way up, and one bad decision can put you out of business. Every carrier, every broker, every logistics manager has to check their drivers inside and out to ensure valid CDL’s, valid medical cards, clean drug tests, and legal work status, etc.
Now, that also means making sure drivers can read road signs, speak enough English to handle inspections, and meet every single FMCSA qualification rule.
It’s all about safety.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has always said that safe roads start with qualified drivers. When companies look the other way, they’re not just breaking a regulation. They’re gambling with lives.
However, the reality of operating a trucking company in today’s market where there is always significant competition often means looking the other way is now, unfortunately, part of the game to stay in business.

What Does the Law Actually Say?

Federal law and Florida law both lay out extensive regulations governing the operating of a commercial motor vehicle.
Federal Rules (FMCSA Regulations)
Under 49 CFR Parts 383 and 391, every commercial driver has to:

⦁ Hold the correct CDL for whatever they’re driving;
⦁ Be able to read and speak English well enough to understand signs and law-enforcement officers (49 CFR § 391.11(b)(2));
⦁ Pass the required medical and drug tests;
⦁ Keep a reasonably clean driving record.

When a trucking company puts an unlicensed or unqualifed driver behind the wheel of a giant truck inviolation of these rules, the FMCSA will come down hard on them with heavy fines and suspension.

Florida Law and Negligence Principles

Beyond the federal FMCSA rules, Florida law recognizes separate causes of action under various negligence theories for negligent hiring, retention, and supervision. That means if a trucking company fails to properly screen or monitor its drivers, it can be held directly liable for any injuries caused. For example, ignoring red flags like an expired CDL, prior safety violations, or questionable immigration paperwork. Courts here don’t buy the “independent contractor” excuse either. If the company controls dispatch, provides the truck, or directs how loads are handled, it’s treated as an employer. Florida juries have also shown a willingness to award punitive damages when a carrier knowingly places an unlicensed or unfit driver on the road, viewing that conduct as reckless disregard for public safety rather than a simple mistake.

After a Crash

Once a crash happens, everything moves fast. Trucking companies have entire quick response teams trained to move quickly to investoogate and collect evidence with the sole purpose to shield the company from liability or minimize it as much as they can. Makes sense, as these companies will face significant lawsuits. risk of losing insurance or increased premiums making it difficult to operate, FMCSA penalties, suspension, and more.
I’ve seen it before: one bad driver, one bad choice, and a company that’s gone by next year.

How the Injured Plaintiff Can Use These Violations

If you have been injured in a crash involving a commercial truck, learning that the driver was not properly licensed changes everything. What might have been an regular case suddenly becomes a much bigger deal, as negligence per se may apply. What that means is, in short, that the violation of the rule proves the negligence and you no longer have to prove the normal negligence requiremrnts.
An experienced injury lawyer will investigate to find this relevant information, including pulling the Driver Qualification File, check employment and immigration records, and review FMCSA safety audits among other important items. When you start to incover these things in a trucking operation (such as expired CDLs, missing paperwork, inadequate training, ignored red flags) that’s when juries pay attention. It turns an “accident” into a story about a company that didn’t care until it was too late. That is when a jury hits them hard with nuclear judgment.

The English-Proficiency Rule — And Why It Exists

One rule that’s getting more attention lately is 49 CFR § 391.11 which is the English-proficiency requirement. Some say it’s unfair to immigrant drivers. Others will say it’s about safety by being able to read warning signs, follow detours, and talk to first responders.
After several deadly crashes, including the recent accident where an non-english speaking immigrant failed to read the “Official Use Only” sign on a highway, the FMCSA has started enforcing this rule to a much stricter degree compared to previous administrations. You can debate how they do it, but it’s hard to argue with the reason: if you’re driving an eighty-thousand-pound rig capable of ending many lives at once, you need to understand at minimum what’s going on around you.
Carriers that ignore that rule are putting lives at risk.

The Bottom Line

Hiring unlicensed or illegal CDL drivers isn’t some clever shortcut. It’s a slow-burn disaster. Federal penalties, insurance denials, multimillion-dollar verdicts — one decision can sink a business.

For victims, those same violations can be the key to proving a case and recovering full compensation.

So if you or someone close to you was hurt in a truck crash, don’t assume it was just “an accident.” There’s often more behind the wheel than meets the eye.

Call Jaime “Mr. 786 Abogado” Suarez today to Get You Paid!

La mayoría de los clientes vienen pensando que las cámaras de la carretera estatal captaron su accidente. Me lo dicen a diario: “Hay cámaras en el paso elevado; lo tienen grabado”. Es comprensible pensar eso. Vemos videos en vivo en el sitio web FL511 del FDOT, vemos informes de tráfico en las noticias de televisión y parece que alguien, en algún lugar, está tomando fotos de cada accidente en la carretera. La realidad es otra y, si estás involucrado en un accidente, la diferencia importa.

Para qué sirven realmente las cámaras del FDOT

Las cámaras de carretera en Florida forman parte del sistema de gestión del tráfico. Su función es mostrar imágenes en vivo del tráfico para que los operadores puedan identificar congestiones, incidentes y condiciones peligrosas. El estado de Florida (FL511) presenta las transmisiones en vivo al público, pero especifica que las transmisiones de las cámaras de tráfico son solo en vivo. Los videos e imágenes en FL511 no se graban ni almacenan.

No estoy difundiendo un simple rumor. La Administración Federal de Carreteras (FHWA) también ha evaluado cómo las agencias de transporte usan las cámaras y si graban o almacenan las transmisiones. Las mejores prácticas y directrices publicadas por la FHWA dejan claro que grabar y almacenar videos es una opción política independiente — basada en el costo, la privacidad y las necesidades operativas — y que muchas agencias optan por no almacenar grabaciones continuas. En resumen: las transmisiones en vivo son estándar; el almacenamiento a largo plazo, no.

Administración Federal de Carreteras

¿Por qué la gente se equivoca en esto?

Hay todo tipo de cámaras en la carretera y a lo largo de ella, y se confunden en la mente de la gente. Eso enturbia las aguas.

Cámaras de tráfico del FDOT (lo que puede ver en FL511): solo transmisión en vivo, nada almacenado.
Cámaras de peaje y carriles exprés: a veces se utilizan para cobrar peajes y pueden tomar una fotografía para hacer cumplir la ley o facturar; esas agencias están dirigidas por agencias de peaje, no por el FDOT.
Cámaras de luz roja y de velocidad: suelen tomar una foto al detectar una infracción; estos programas son locales y se rigen por contratos y políticas especiales. Las normas nacionales del programa de cámaras de luz roja establecen inequívocamente que son dispositivos de control vial, no sistemas de grabación de accidentes multiuso.
Cámaras de seguridad privadas o comerciales: empresas, residencias, gasolineras — estas generalmente graban videos y probablemente sean la mejor fuente de video después de un accidente.

Por lo tanto, cuando alguien dice “la cámara de la carretera lo tiene”, lo que básicamente quiere decir es “una cámara cercana podría tenerlo”. La señal del FDOT no lo tendrá.

Por qué el tiempo es esencial

Incluso si existe un video útil (la cámara de seguridad de una tienda, una foto de un peaje o la cámara del tablero de otra persona), desaparecerá pronto. Los sistemas privados transfieren las grabaciones de forma rutinaria, a veces en periodos tan breves como de 24 a 72 horas. Los sistemas de transporte público y los programas municipales que graban suelen conservarlas solo por un tiempo limitado, según las políticas y el espacio de almacenamiento. Los informes de la FHWA que revisé abordan cómo las agencias sopesan el motivo de la captura frente al costo, la privacidad y las necesidades de retención de registros; muchas no mantienen registros continuos durante largos periodos. Operaciones de la FHWA +1

Qué hacer inmediatamente después de un accidente

Si necesita preservar algún video o evidencia electrónica, actúe rápidamente y realice estos procedimientos en el campo:

Patrulle el lugar con cámaras y grabe los negocios con posible visibilidad del accidente. Solicite a los empleados que graben el lugar.
Detenga o pase a los conductores que se hayan detenido y pídales que le muestren el video de la cámara del tablero y si lo conservarán.
Obtenga nombres y declaraciones contemporáneas de testigos mientras los recuerdos aún están vívidos.
Haga que su abogado envíe cartas de preservación a las partes que probablemente posean grabaciones; las solicitudes legales tempranas tienden a obstaculizar la sobrescritura.
Observe los datos del automóvil: muchos automóviles tienen grabadoras de datos de eventos (“cajas negras”) que capturan la velocidad, el frenado y las entradas del acelerador durante los segundos previos a una colisión.

Les recuerdo lo siguiente a todos los que me ven: no confíen en las cámaras de las carreteras del estado como su salvación. No piensen que algo se está preservando a menos que se lo digan, y entonces consérvenlo de inmediato.

Una nota final y práctica

Si usted o un ser querido resultó herido, hay muy pocas cosas que pueda hacer en las primeras etapas, incluyendo la preservación de evidencia. Si bien las cámaras del FDOT ayudan a responder a incidentes y a saber qué sucede en el terreno, no pueden sustituir la recopilación activa de evidencia. Si necesita ayuda para determinar dónde buscar videos o cómo enviar solicitudes de preservación, llame a asistencia legal de inmediato; el tiempo ya ha comenzado para las mejores fuentes de evidencia.

Y recuerda, si resultas lesionado en un accidente, ¡llama hoy a Jaime “Sr. 786 Abogado” Suárez para que te paguen!

Most clients come in thinking the state highway cameras captured their accident. I get it every day: “There are cameras on the overpass — they’ve got it on tape.” It’s understandable to think that. We watch live video on FDOT’s FL511 website, we get traffic reports on the TV news, and it looks like someone, somewhere is taking pictures of every wreck on the highway. The reality is otherwise and — if you are involved in a crash — the difference matters.

What FDOT Cameras Are Really For

The highway cameras in Florida are part of the traffic-management system. They are there to show live views of traffic so that operators can identify congestion, incidents, and dangerous conditions. It is FL511 that presents the live feeds to the public, but the state specifically says that traffic-camera feeds are live-only. Video and images on FL511 are not recorded or stored.

I am not just spreading a rumor. The Federal Highway Administration has also weighed how transportation agencies use cameras and whether agencies record or store feeds. The best practices and guidelines FHWA publishes make it plain that recording and storing video is a standalone policy choice — based on cost, issues of privacy, and operational needs — and that many agencies choose not to store continuous recordings. Short: live feeds are standard; longterm storage is not.

Federal Highway Administration

Why People Get This Wrong

There are all sorts of different types of cameras on and along the road, and they get muddled in people’s brains. That muddies the water.

FDOT traffic cameras (what you can see on FL511): live feed only, nothing stored.
Express-lane and toll cameras: sometimes used to toll and are able to take a photo to enforce or bill; those agencies are run by toll agencies, not FDOT.
Red-light and speed cameras: typically snap a photo when they detect there is a violation; those programs are local and run under special contracts and policies. National red-light camera program standards unequivocally provide they are enforcement devices, not multi-use crash recording systems.
Private or commercial security cameras: businesses, residences, gas stations — these will typically video and are likely to be the best source of video after an accident.

Therefore when someone says “the highway camera has it,” what they’re essentially saying is “a nearby camera might have it.” The FDOT feed will not.

Why Time Is of the Essence

Even if beneficial video exists — a store’s security camera, a photo from a toll gantry, or a dashcam from someone else — it will vanish all too soon. Private systems naturally roll over recordings routinely, at times in as brief a duration as 24 to 72 hours. Transit systems and city programs that do record usually hold it for only a limited period of time, based on policy and storage space. FHWA reports I reviewed address how agencies weigh “why” to capture against cost, privacy, and record-retention needs; many do not have continuous records for long periods of time. FHWA Operations +1

What to Do Immediately After a Crash

If you need to preserve any video or electronic evidence, move quickly and do these in-the-field procedures:

Patrol the scene with cameras and record businesses with possible visibility of the accident. Ask employees to retain footage on the spot.
Pull over or pass by drivers who have stopped and ask them for dashcam video and whether they will retain it.
Get names and contemporaneous statements from witnesses while memories are still vivid.
Have your lawyer send preservation letters to parties who are likely to possess recordings; early legal request tends to strangle overwriting.
Look at car data: a lot of cars have event data recorders (“black boxes”) that capture speed, braking, and throttle inputs during the seconds leading up to a collision.

I remind everyone who sees me of the following: do not rely on highway cameras around the state to be your salvation. Do not think that anything is being preserved unless you are told that something is, and then preserve it at once.

A Final, Practical Note

If you or someone you care about was injured, there are very few things that you can do in the early stages, including preserving evidence. While FDOT cameras assist in responding to incidents and knowing what’s going on on the ground, they cannot be substituted for actively acquiring evidence. If you need help with determining where to look for video or how to send out preservation requests, call in legal aid immediately — the clock has already begun on the best sources of evidence.

And remember, if you are injured in an accident, call Jaime “Mr. 786 Abogado” Suarez today to Get You Paid!

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