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Max Dryerman, of Woodcliff Lake, filed the federal lawsuit Monday, June 23, in Camden, blaming Tesla's “defective” safety features for the deaths of his father David, his mother Michele, both 54, and his 17-year-old sister Brooke.
The crash happened on Sept. 14, 2024, while the family was driving home from a concert, the lawsuit says. David Dryerman was behind the wheel of the 2024 Tesla Model S when it suddenly veered off the road near Milepost 131.1 in Woodbridge, the complaint alleges.
The vehicle accelerated without warning, failed to detect a concrete bridge support, and slammed into it at high speed, despite being equipped with Tesla’s highly touted full self-driving and autopilot features, according to the lawsuit.
“Despite the vehicle camera system [detecting] an approaching stationary obstacle,” the complaint reads, “the vehicle continued—without braking or reduction in acceleration or engine torque—into the stationary obstacle.”
All three family members were wearing seatbelts. All three died from their injuries.
Brooke was a senior at Pascack Hills High School, and shared photos to her Instagram story from the Sea.Hear.Now music festival in Asbury Park hours before the crash happened.
Max is a Drexel University student and is studying engineering, according to his LinkedIn profile. He was recently elected president of his fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi.
The 28-page lawsuit alleges Tesla falsely marketed its vehicles as being able to safely self-drive, even in emergencies, citing statements from Elon Musk about Autopilot being “better than a human driver.”
Dryerman is suing for wrongful death, product liability, and punitive damages, saying Tesla “acted in conscious disregard” of the risks of its ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) technology.
The case, filed under Max Dryerman et al. v. Tesla Inc., seeks a jury trial.
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