A terrifying ride on a Houston freeway has led to a $1 million lawsuit against Tesla. A new mother claims her Cybertruck, operating with the company's self-driving feature engaged, suddenly tried to drive straight off an overpass, slamming into a concrete barrier with her one-year-old child in the back seat.
Justine Saint Amour filed the lawsuit in Harris County District Court last month, alleging that Tesla misled customers about the capabilities of its "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving" technology and was negligent in the system's design. The incident occurred on August 18, 2025.
The Crash Caught on Dashcam
Dashcam video from the incident, described in the lawsuit, paints a harrowing picture. Saint Amour was driving on Houston's 69 Eastex Freeway, approaching a Y-shaped overpass that curves to the right.
According to her attorney, Bob Hilliard of Hilliard Law, the vehicle, with Autopilot engaged, failed to navigate the curve.
"Something terrifying happened, without warning, the vehicle attempted to drive straight off an overpass," Hilliard said in a statement.
The video shows the Cybertruck barely turning, continuing straight toward the barrier. Saint Amour disengaged the driver-assistance feature and grabbed the wheel in a desperate attempt to correct its path, but it was too late.
The truck violently crashed into the concrete barrier, ricocheting and sending parts of the vehicle flying through the air.
Serious Injuries and a Lucky Baby
While her one-year-old child, who was in the backseat, was miraculously unharmed, Saint Amour suffered significant injuries. The lawsuit details a long list of physical damage, including:
Two herniated discs in her lower back and one in her neck.
A sprained wrist and nerve damage to her right hand, causing numbness, burning sensations, and weakness.
Serious injuries to her right shoulder, neck, and back.
The Core of the Lawsuit: Negligence and 'Cutting Corners'
The lawsuit goes beyond the crash itself, targeting Tesla's fundamental approach to self-driving technology. It alleges the company was negligent in its design choices and misrepresented what its system could safely do.
A key point of contention is Tesla's reliance on cameras alone for its self-driving suite, a philosophy championed by CEO Elon Musk. The lawsuit contrasts this with other manufacturers who use liDAR (light detection and ranging), a sensing technology that uses lasers to create precise 3D maps of the environment.
"Tesla’s self driving relies on cheap video cameras alone, with no LiDar," Attorney Hilliard argued. He also claimed the system lacks a robust driver-monitoring feature to ensure a person is ready to take over instantly.
"Tesla could have avoided all of this by not cutting corners," Hilliard Law posted on social media. "This company wants drivers to believe and trust their life on a lie: that the vehicle can self-drive and that it can do so safely. It can’t, and it doesn’t."
A Pattern of 'False Advertising'
This legal battle comes amid a broader regulatory crackdown on Tesla's marketing language. The company was recently forced to comply with California regulations over false advertising claims related to its "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving" features.
The California DMV alleged the names mislead consumers into believing the systems are truly autonomous, when they are in fact advanced driver-assistance systems that require constant human supervision. As part of the resolution, Tesla agreed to rename its "Navigate on Autopilot" function to "Navigate on Autosteer" and make other changes.
These adjustments are happening as Tesla aggressively pushes into the robotaxi market, recently launching the Cybercab—a vehicle designed with no steering wheel or pedals, intended to be fully autonomous.
Fox Business reached out to Tesla for comment on the lawsuit but did not receive a response.
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