A new lawsuit has shed a terrifying light on a Tesla driver’s death in October 2025.
Bloomberg reported on the wrongful death lawsuit, which is centered around 20-year-old Samuel Tremblett, a driver who passed away after a collision involving a Tesla Model Y SUV in October of last year.
According to the lawsuit, Tremblett was driving a 2021 Tesla Model Y outside Boston when he left the road and struck a tree. He survived the initial impact but was apparently unable to exit the vehicle due to an alleged failure of Tesla’s signature electric door system. He eventually died as a result of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. Before he died, Tremblett called 911, but first responders were not able to rescue him in time.
The most chilling part of this whole story comes from 911 call transcripts found in the lawsuit.
“It’s on fire. Please help,” Tremblett said, according to the transcript. “I am going to die.”
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The lawsuit states that police officers arrived quickly to the scene, but were unable to put out the fire or remove Tremblett in time. The lawsuit says it ultimately took firefighters four hours to extinguish the crashed Model Y.
As the fire burned, Tremblett stayed on the phone with the 911 dispatcher:
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. Help please… I am going to die… I’m dying. Help. I’m dying… Help… Help.
Last year, a Bloomberg report found 15 deaths related to Tesla’s electronic door system, part of a wider investigation into the safety of Tesla doors. According to Bloomberg, there is a low-voltage battery in each Tesla vehicle that governs components such as doors, while a higher voltage battery is responsible for propelling the car forward. If the low-voltage battery is disabled for any reason, the doors will not open in their normal fashion.
There is a mechanical release for the doors, but per Bloomberg, many drivers are not aware of this or how to operate it. In addition, panicked drivers in a life-or-death situation may struggle to recall the proper opening procedure.
The lawsuit accuses Tesla of selling vehicles with a “defective and unreasonably dangerous automated door handles.” It further states that “Tesla owed a duty to provide adequate warnings, instructions, and information with the Subject Vehicle before placing it into the stream of commerce” and that “Tesla knew or should have known of the defective and unreasonably dangerous condition of the 2021 Model Y.”
For its part, Tesla said last year that it would update its vehicles so that doors would automatically unlock after a “serious collision.” However, the company only reached that conclusion after multiple deaths allegedly involving door failures.
Topics
Electric Vehicles
Tesla
