‘Trapped inside’: Couple burns to death inside Tesla after rear door buttons become ‘useless’ due to vehicle losing power following crash
Inset: Jeffrey Bauer and Michelle Bauer (GoFundMe). Background: The crash scene in Verona, Wis., after Jeffrey Bauer and Michelle Bauer struck a tree with their Tesla Model S and died (WISN/YouTube).
A Wisconsin family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla, alleging that a design flaw in one of the company’s vehicles trapped two passengers inside after a crash and led to their deaths.
Jeffrey and Michelle Bauer died in November 2024 when the 2016 Tesla Model S they were riding in veered off Range Trail in Verona, Wisconsin, struck a tree, and burst into flames. According to the complaint filed last week in Dane County Circuit Court, the couple initially survived the impact but became trapped inside after the vehicle lost “low-voltage electrical power,” rendering the rear door buttons “useless.”
“Jeffrey Bauer and Michelle Bauer did not die from the crash,” the family’s attorneys state in the lawsuit. “They died because Tesla’s unreasonably dangerous design choices created the conditions for a fire to ignite and spread rapidly, leaving them with no practical means of escape.”
A nearby homeowner who called 911 reported hearing the collision, followed by screams from inside the burning vehicle. “The car is on fire now,” she told dispatchers, according to the complaint. “There are big flames and big bangs.” She said she could still hear screaming five minutes into the call. An off-duty police officer who came upon the scene also called 911, describing visible flames and cries for help. None of the five people in the vehicle survived.
The lawsuit alleges Tesla knowingly created “a highly foreseeable risk” that passengers who survived a crash could become trapped inside a burning car. Although the Model S includes hidden mechanical door releases, the complaint claims they were “unlabeled, non-intuitive, and highly unlikely to be located or operated amid the smoke and chaos of a post-crash fire.”
Lead attorney Andrew McDevitt told NBC affiliate WMTV that the Bauers’ deaths were “unnecessary” and preventable. “Tesla introduced a hazard and a problem that did not previously exist in vehicles,” he said. “When new technology is introduced, it’s critical to ensure it doesn’t come with hidden dangers.”
The Bauer family issued a statement calling Jeffrey and Michelle “devoted parents and cherished members of our community.” They said the lawsuit aims to seek justice and push Tesla to fix “what they’ve known was deadly for years.”
Tesla has not yet responded to requests for comment from WMTV or Law&Crime.
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