The video shows that Tesla nearly ran the mother and child off the bridge, the lawsuit claims
The video shows the car apparently missing a curve on a Houston freeway before crashing into a concrete barrier in August 2025. (Hilliard Law)
A Houston woman sued Tesla last month after her Cybertruck, which is allegedly self-driving, was caught on camera nearly ejecting her and her baby from a bridge before crashing into an embankment.
The woman, who claims she suffered multiple injuries in the August 2025 incident, is suing Tesla for $1 million in liability and negligence, according to the lawsuit.
“On August 18, 2025, our client Justine Saint Amour was driving a Tesla Cybertruck on the 69 Eastex Freeway in Houston with the pilot,” attorney Bob Hilliard said in a statement to FOX Business.
“A terrible thing happened, without warning, the car tried to drive straight into the passing zone.”
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A Tesla Cybertruck was destroyed in an autopilot-related crash in Houston, the lawsuit claims. (Hilliard Law / Fox News)
In dashcam video of the incident, driver Justine Saint Amour was in a Cybertruck that was expected to follow the right turn of the Y-shaped overpass.
The car then seemed to stop turning, and continued straight ahead, before hitting the concrete in the overpass. When the plane took off and collided, parts of the car were seen flying away.
Amour’s attorney added that just before the crash, he pulled out the driver assist feature and tried to take control of the wheel. However, the car was already too far away to intervene, the law firm said.
“He tried to regain control, but he hit the road and suffered serious injuries (mostly to his shoulder, neck and back),” Hilliard said.
Saint Amour suffered serious injuries to his right shoulder, neck and back, including two herniated discs in his lower back and one in his neck, the Austin American-Statesman reported, citing Hilliard Law. Saint Amour also tore muscles in his wrist and suffered nerve damage in his right hand, which can cause numbness, tingling and overall weakness, the lawsuit said.
Local shopkeeper Khou 11 added that her one-year-old child was also sitting in the back seat at the time of the incident but was not injured.
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Dashcam video captured the Cybertruck reportedly driving on autopilot toward the closed area, according to the lawsuit. (Hilliard Law / Fox News)
The lawsuit alleges that Tesla misrepresented the capabilities of its driver assistance system and was negligent in the design of its “Autopilot” feature. It also said the company failed to integrate safety features such as emergency braking systems or LiDAR, a distance-measuring sensor technology.
“Tesla’s self-driving relies on cheap video cameras alone, without LiDar,” Hilliard said. “The vehicle also does not have a proper driver warning system to ensure that drivers are fit to drive.”
Hilliard Law posted a statement on social media last Wednesday, saying “Tesla could have avoided all of this by not stopping.”
“Tesla’s decisions made Justine’s accident inevitable,” Hilliard added. “This company wants drivers to believe and trust their lives in a lie: that the car can drive itself and that it can do so safely. It won’t, and it won’t happen.”
The lawsuit, filed in Harris County District Court, comes as Tesla was recently forced to comply with California laws over false advertising claims related to its “Autopilot” feature.
The lawsuit, filed by the California DMV in 2022, alleges that Tesla misrepresented its driver assistance systems as autonomous driving technology under the names “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving.”
The accident happened on Aug. 18, 2025, Houston, Texas. (Hilliard Law / Fox News)
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While the automaker tried to challenge the decision, it ended up changing the name of the system from “Navigate in Autopilot” to “Navigate in Autosteer,” among other rebranding changes.
Tesla’s switch is part of a high-level effort to protect its business while aggressively expanding its fleet of Robotaxi services, including the recent launch of the Cybercab – a fully autonomous vehicle designed without a steering wheel, pedals or any physical controls.
FOX Business reached out to Tesla for comment, but it did not respond.
