A new lawsuit alleges design defects in a Tesla Model 3 killed a Tacoma woman and severely injured her husband in 2023, by trapping them in a crashed, burning car.

Jeffery Dennis and a lawyer representing the estate of his late wife, Wendy Dennis, filed the lawsuit Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Jeffery Dennis was driving the Tesla on Jan. 7, 2023, “for a normal Saturday afternoon of shopping and errands” in Tacoma with Wendy in the passenger seat, according to court documents.

The car “suddenly and rapidly accelerated out of control” for at least 5 seconds before crashing into a utility pole on the corner of South 56th and South Washington streets, the complaint reads. The complaint alleges the car’s Automatic Emergency Braking system, designe

See Full Page