Tesla faces a wrongful death lawsuit after a 20-year-old student burned alive in his Model Y, trapped by electronic door handles that failed during a crash.
Samuel Tremblett, a Syracuse University design student, died on October 29, 2025 when his 2021 Tesla Model Y veered off Route 138 in Easton, Massachusetts and crashed into a tree. The vehicle immediately burst into flames, but Tremblett survived the initial impact only to be trapped inside as the car's electrical system failed.
According to the lawsuit filed by his mother Jacquelyn Tremblett in U.S. District Court for Massachusetts, the 20-year-old made a frantic 911 call pleading for help.
"I'm stuck in a car crash... I can't get out, please help me... I can't breathe... It's on fire, it's on fire," Tremblett told the dispatcher, according to court documents. "I'm going to die... I'm dying... Help... Help."
First responders arrived quickly but couldn't extinguish the fire or open the doors. Officers reported four explosions during the first ten minutes on scene, and it took approximately four hours to fully extinguish the blaze. Tremblett's remains were found in the rear seat of the vehicle.
Tesla vehicles have flush exterior door handles for aerodynamic efficiency and sleek design. Interior handles are electronically actuated to allow windows to slide down slightly before doors open, protecting seals around frameless doors.
However, this design means doors cannot open when power fails without using hidden manual releases located in "inconspicuous" areas without clear "emergency exit" markings, according to the lawsuit which alleges the design is "defective and unreasonably dangerous."
Attorney Andrew Nebenzahl, representing the Tremblett family, said Tesla has ignored warnings about the safety hazard.
"This young man died begging for help," Nebenzahl stated. "Tesla knew about this defect for years and, despite being warned by Tesla engineers, they refused to change the door handle's design."
The lawsuit cites at least 15 deaths since 2016 where Tesla occupants survived crashes but couldn't escape burning vehicles. Bloomberg's investigation found 15 fatalities tied to Tesla's door safety issues, while the Tremblett complaint references 17 accidents where people were trapped, though not all were fatal.
Regulatory bodies have taken action against the design. China finalized a ban on Tesla-style electronic designs in February 2026, requiring mechanical fallbacks effective January 1, 2027. Meanwhile, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation in September 2025, and Tesla said it was "working on" a fix.
This marks the third major lawsuit against Tesla in recent months involving similar circumstances. Earlier cases involved a Cybertruck crash that killed three teenagers and a Model S accident that killed five occupants.
Tesla has three weeks to file a formal response or motion to dismiss in federal court. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Tremblett lawsuit.
