Morgan & Morgan retained by family of couple who died when Tesla crashed into parked semi
The family of a California couple that died at a Florida rest stop when their Tesla crashed into a parked tractor-trailer this month has retained attorneys from Morgan & Morgan, the law firm announced.
Karl and Mary Lou Seelandt died July 6 in the crash, according to a GoFundMe post. The married couple had been on a cross-country road trip from Lompoc, California and had just visited their granddaughter for her 1-year-old birthday, according to the post.
“We are in the very early stages of our investigation to determine what caused this deadly collision and have requested Tesla preserve all evidence related to this matter,” reads an emailed statement attributed to attorneys Mike Morgan and Josh Moore. “We are awaiting the crash report as well as audio and video that were recorded in the collision, which will provide us with a clear picture of what happened. We will work to help the family understand why they have lost loved ones and seek justice on their behalf.”
The Florida Highway Patrol stated the Tesla has been driving southbound on Interstate 75 near Gainesville with a 66-year-old woman in the driver’s seat and 67-year-old man as passenger, according to the FHP crash report. The report said that for unknown reasons, the 2015 Tesla traveled into the parking lot of the Paynes Prairie Rest Area just before 2 p.m. and struck the rear of a parked 2020 Freightliner tractor-trailer hauling Walmart goods. The truck driver, a 58-year-old Ruskin, man, was not injured, the report stated.
A photo of the Tesla showed it lodged under the truck with half its roof torn off. Gainesville Fire Rescue responded to the crash, but both of the Tesla occupants were pronounced dead on scene, FHP said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is heading up a special investigation into the crash.
FHP Lt. P.V. Riordan stated Wednesday that preliminary investigations have yet to determine if the Tesla’s autopilot or full self-driving features were in operation at the time of the crash.
In the family’s GoFundMe page, son Michael Seelandt said his parents had just visited his house in Georgia for his daughter Gracie’s birthday.
“They loved every minute of the eight days they spent with their granddaughter and us,” the post states. “We are heartbroken that they were not able to experience grandparenthood. Gracie is one of the lights keeping us going right now.”
He said they were married for 48 years, and that memorial services were to be held in both Lompoc and in Cocoa.
“We are grateful to have them as an example of true love and the meaning of marriage. While we don’t have much information, we have been assured they did not suffer. They went quickly and together,” the post reads.
The NHTSA last month published initial data on driver assistance systems in cars such as Tesla, one year after it began requiring companies to report crash data related to those automated systems. It plans on releasing crash data monthly.
The report stated that there were 367 crashes involving vehicles with driver-assist systems from July 2021 to May 15, 2022, with Tesla reporting the majority of those at 273 incidents. Honda was in second with 90 and Subaru with 10.
Most across all brands were not serious with only six deaths and five serious injuries reported during that time.
“The Department of Transportation and NHTSA seek to foster innovation and safe adoption of these technologies, which, if done right, hold great promise to improve roadway safety,” reads a press release from the NHTSA on the report. “NHTSA is collecting this data on advanced vehicle technologies and exploring other opportunities to support safe innovation as part of NHTSA’s core responsibility to ensure vehicle safety.”
