Jury selection was underway Monday in a wrongful death lawsuit centered on a high-speed Tesla crash in Fort Lauderdale eight years ago that left two teens dead.
The lawsuit was filed by the parents of Edgar Monserratt, who was a passenger in the 2014 Tesla Model S that crashed on A1A in Fort Lauderdale back in May 2018.
Monserratt and the driver, Barrett Riley, who were both 18, were killed in the fiery crash. A third teen was ejected from the car but survived.
Pine Crest School
Edgar Monserratt and Barrett Riley
The National Transportation Safety Board later found Riley was driving 116 mph in a 30 mph zone seconds before the crash.
Monserratt’s parents are suing Tesla, Riley’s parents and others for negligence.
The key issue in the trial is that a speed limiter that was put on the Tesla to prevent it from going so fast was removed before the crash.
Riley’s father had ordered it installed to prevent his son from driving over 85 mph but an investigation found that about a month before the crash, the teen asked workers at Tesla’s Dania Beach dealership to return the car to normal operating mode while it was being serviced.
Tesla has previously denied negligence in disabling the speed limiter.
On Monday, a few dozen jurors spent the morning at the Broward County Courthouse as the judge and attorneys worked to pare down the group they need to start the trial.
Judge David A. Haimes asked the group if they were familiar with the case and some raised their hands.
Jury selection was expected to stretch into Monday afternoon and the judge is hoping opening arguments will begin Tuesday.