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Tesla is being sued by the family members of another victim who died during a Cybertruck crash in the quiet town of Piedmont, California. This is the second suit brought against the automotive company this week alleging a design flaw in its vehicle is to blame for the fatalities of those inside caught in the crash, according to court filings.

Allegations of Known Defects

The parents of Jack Nelson allege that the company that helped Elon Musk achieve billionaire status was aware of the issue for a long time and could have moved faster to resolve the defect but failed to do so, trapping the occupants trapped amid flames and smoke that eventually killed them.

"This legal action stems from severe manufacturing flaws in the Tesla Cybertruck that turned a survivable crash into a deadly blaze," states the legal filing, which was filed on Thursday in Alameda county superior court.

Another Parallel Case

A similar suit has been brought against the automaker recently by the family of another victim, another victim of the crash. Tsukahara, 19, and Nelson, 20, were traveling in the back of the electric vehicle late last year, with one other passenger and the driver. The vehicle collided with a tree at high speed and caught on fire, as detailed in a California highway patrol report.

Fatal Conditions

Once the electrical supply to the vehicle's doors was disrupted by the flames, the passengers were locked inside with no way out. The driver also died. The remaining occupant was pulled from the car following the shattering of a window by emergency personnel.

"The four young people in the Cybertruck were close friends and remarkable people, all poised to deliver significant impacts to society," the Nelson parents said in a statement. "They were all victims of Tesla’s unsafe design. Their tragic loss and harm have devastated everyone acquainted with them."

Government Probe

The new legal threats facing Tesla follow shortly after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation regarding the automaker about its electric door handles, which are built to be flush with the body of the vehicle.

Authorities are additionally examining reports from vehicle owners that said upon leaving their vehicles, they could not open back doors to retrieve their children and, in some cases, had to break the window to gain access.

Ongoing Hazard Issues

The vehicle's door mechanisms have been the focus of multiple accident-related legal cases since the power source powering the unlocking mechanism can be destroyed in a fire and the manual releases that bypass the electronic system are difficult to find.

"The emergency manual override for that door was concealed beneath the liner of the map pocket at the bottom of the door – hidden, unlabeled, and impractical to locate or operate amid smoke and chaos of a post-crash fire," explained the family. "As a result, the vehicle's engineering left Jack and the other occupants with no practical way to escape."

Prior Court Rulings

These electric truck legal cases come after multiple instances that have claimed various safety problems with Tesla cars. In August, a court in Florida ruled that the company must compensate $243m in damages to the relatives of a young adult who was killed in an accident involving their car using the autonomous driving feature.