NEW YORK CITY, New York: A high-stakes trial involving Tesla began this week in Miami, where a jury will determine whether the company bears any responsibility for the death of a university student and the serious injury of her boyfriend in a 2019 crash involving one of its vehicles.

The incident occurred near Key West, Florida, when a Tesla Model S, traveling nearly 70 mph, ran through flashing red lights, a stop sign, and a T-intersection before crashing into a parked Chevrolet Tahoe.

The collision killed Naibel Benavides Leon, who had been stargazing nearby, and seriously injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo. She was thrown 75 feet into a wooded area.

The plaintiffs argue that Tesla's driver-assistance feature, Autopilot, should have recognized the vehicle ahead and either warned the driver or slowed down. They claim Tesla's system failed to do so, despite detecting the Tahoe.

According to the lawsuit, the driver, George McGee, relied on Autopilot and was distracted, reaching for a dropped phone when the car crashed. McGee was sued separately, and that case has been settled.

Tesla, however, rejects any blame. In a statement, the company said, "The evidence clearly shows that this crash had nothing to do with Tesla's Autopilot technology. Instead, like so many unfortunate accidents since cellphones were invented, this was caused by a distracted driver."

Tesla also emphasized that its user manuals instruct drivers to remain alert and ready to take control at all times, noting that its vehicles are not fully autonomous.

What makes this case particularly significant is that U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom has allowed the plaintiffs to seek punitive damages, a rare development in lawsuits against Tesla. In her ruling last month, she dismissed claims of manufacturing defects and negligent misrepresentation but allowed other liability claims to move forward.

"A reasonable jury could find that Tesla acted in reckless disregard of human life for the sake of developing their product and maximizing profit," Judge Bloom wrote.

The lawsuit contends that Tesla should have restricted the use of Autopilot to major roads for which it was designed, preventing drivers from activating it on smaller, rural roads like the one where the crash occurred. The plaintiffs cite data and video evidence showing the system detected the Tahoe but failed to act appropriately.

Tesla has since updated its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems, but concerns remain. In 2023, the company recalled 2.3 million vehicles after federal safety regulators found Autopilot did not do enough to ensure driver attention. Regulators later opened an investigation into whether Tesla had truly addressed the issue.

Despite ongoing scrutiny, Elon Musk continues to tout the capabilities of Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" technology, which he claims allows vehicles to operate independently. Federal officials have cautioned that such claims can mislead drivers into overreliance, potentially leading to crashes. The Full Self-Driving system has been linked to at least three fatal accidents and is under investigation for poor performance in conditions like sun glare and fog.

Tesla is pushing forward with plans to deploy a fleet of driverless robotaxis in the U.S. by the end of next year. Early test runs in Austin, Texas, have been largely successful, though isolated incidents—such as a car veering into the wrong lane—highlight persistent challenges.