Teenage Girl Among Three Killed in Fatal Car Crash – Family Files Lawsuit

The fatal collision occurred in November 2024, leaving families mourning their loved ones and seeking justice

A tragic crash involving a Tesla Cybertruck in Piedmont, California, left three college students dead and one critically injured. The tragedy has sparked multiple lawsuits against the electric car company.

High-Tech Vehicle Bursts into Flames

On November 27, 2024, the high-tech vehicle jumped a curb, slammed into a tree, and burst into flames in the early hours of the morning. Authorities said the crash happened around 3 a.m. on Hampton Road.

The impact was so severe that the Cybertruck's front end wrapped partially around the tree before it caught fire. An iPhone inside the vehicle automatically alerted emergency responders.

According to Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers, police and firefighters arrived within minutes, but by that time, the flames had engulfed the truck.

Despite efforts to extinguish the blaze, three passengers — identified as 19-year-olds Soren Dixon, Jack Nelson, and Krysta Tsukahara — were pronounced dead at the scene. A fourth passenger, Jordan Miller, was rescued by a friend following behind in another car and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

A woman familiar with the victims and in touch with the survivor's family said that the four individuals were close friends and 2023 graduates of Piedmont High School. She added that they had returned home from college to spend the holidays together.

According to investigators, the group had attended a Thanksgiving gathering earlier that night. Toxicology results later revealed that Soren, who was driving the vehicle, had a blood alcohol level of 0.195 percent, more than twice the legal limit for adults, and also had cocaine and methamphetamines in his system.

Hero Friend Fights to Save Victims

Jordan's friend, Matthew Riordan, told investigators that Soren appeared normal at the time. He had asked Matthew to drive him to pick up the family's Cybertruck shortly before the accident. Jordan eventually took the wheel of the Cybertruck.

However, his impaired state from a dangerous mix of alcohol and drugs left him unable to handle the sharp bends along Hampton Avenue. When the vehicle failed to navigate the corner, it struck a retaining wall and a tree, igniting almost instantly.

Matthew, who was driving behind them, witnessed the crash and tried desperately to save the occupants. "I could hear Krysta yelling and the car saying 'crash detected,'" he narrated.

Matthew continued, "I went back to the broken window and yelled for them to try to get out at this window … Krysta tried to come up, sticking her head (out) from the back, I grabbed her arm to try and pull her towards me, but she retreated because of the fire."

He then attempted to open the Cybertruck's high-tech doors, but the electronic system appeared to have failed after the collision. Using his bare hands and later a tree branch, Matthew managed to shatter one window and pull Jordan out, but he could not reach the others as the flames spread rapidly.

The Alameda County Coroner's Office later confirmed that all three victims died from burns and smoke inhalation. Soren, Jack, Krysta, and Jordan were known for their achievements in sports and academics.

Soren and Jack had been standout lacrosse players, Krysta was a competitive golfer, and Jordan was a student at the University of Wisconsin.

Their former middle school teacher, Sandy Martin, cried as she told reporters, "They were great kids." As the cause of the accident was being investigated at the time, she added, "No matter the why's, it's just so horrible. They all have wonderful families. They were incredible kids. These are kids that lost their lives [sic]."

Grieving Families File Lawsuits

Chief Jeremy noted that in addition to drugs and alcohol, excessive speed also played a role in the crash. In the months following the tragedy, grief in the tight-knit Piedmont community turned to anger.

The families of Krysta and Jack have filed wrongful death lawsuits against Tesla, accusing the company of negligence and design flaws that prevented their children from escaping the burning vehicle.

According to the lawsuit, the vehicle's doors rely on a 12-volt battery, and if power is lost during a collision, the electronic door system can malfunction. The manual release is also reportedly concealed and hard to locate.

The suits allege that the Cybertruck's electric door system failed when the vehicle lost power, leaving no accessible manual release.

According to the filings, Tesla's design "lacked a functional, accessible, and conspicuous manual door release mechanism," making it impossible for the victims to escape once the battery system shut down.

Attorneys for the victims' families have described the incident as a "horror story," pointing out that Tesla's electronic door systems can trap occupants in emergencies.

Krysta's family attorney, Roger Dreyer, noted, "Tesla knows that it's happened and that it's going to happen, and they are doing nothing but selling the car with a system that entraps people and doesn't provide a way of extraction."

The victims' families are seeking punitive damages, asserting that their children's deaths were preventable. They argue that the company's choice to prioritize futuristic design over practical safety created a deadly hazard.

"The four young people in the Cybertruck were close friends and outstanding individuals, each on the verge of making meaningful contributions to the world. They were all victims of Tesla's unsafe design," declared Todd Nelson and Stannye Nelson, Jack's parents.

The Tsukaharas' lawsuit notes that their daughter was conscious after the crash but unable to exit the vehicle before it was consumed by flames.

Tesla representatives did not provide a response to requests for comment. The company, known for its high-tech features, designs vehicles with button-operated doors that lack traditional handles.

The lawsuits also come amid growing scrutiny of Tesla's safety record. The company's vehicles — including the Cybertruck — have been subject to several recalls in the past year and are currently under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For the families of the victims, the lawsuits, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, represent more than legal action; they are an attempt to ensure no one else experiences the same loss.

As the investigations continue, the crash stands as a devastating reminder of how technology meant to protect can sometimes fail in the most critical moments.