Tesla Motors (TSLA) Named in Suit Tied to Fatal California Bike Accident

Tesla Motors (Nasdaq: TSLA) was named in a lawsuit following the death of a California cyclist last November.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, Tesla driver Navindra Kumar Jain will be charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the case. The cyclist, Joshua Alper, age 40, was killed November 2, 2013.

Reports have the driver Jain, age 63, falling asleep at the wheel of the Tesla vehicle when the accident happened.

The family of Alper filed a suit against Jain. Part of the suit contends that the Tesla in the crash was "defective and unreasonably dangerous when used in a normal, intended and foreseeable manner, the San Jose Mercury News noted.

Jain said he purchased the vehicle just ten days before the accident. Due to the strong, new-car smell from the Tesla, the driver used a baking soda air freshener to lighten the scent. The driver alleged that the smell caused him to fall asleep and there there were no mechanical deficiencies with the vehicle.

As many reports before, this surely is a one-off for Tesla that will probably blow up as word spreads through the media. No prior reports have any Tesla vehicle emanating a new-car smell that overpowers the senses and leads to accidents.

Shares of Tesla are up 2.3 percent Thursday. Again, the link to that report is here.

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