A robotics technician is suing Tesla, alleging he was struck and knocked unconscious by an “approximately 8,000-pound counterbalance weight” attached to a robotic arm at the company’s plant in Fremont, California.
According to a civil complaint obtained by The Independent, engineer Peter Hinterdobler was helping a colleague remove the robot’s motor during a planned disassembly on July 22, 2023.
But then, the “robot’s arm suddenly and without warning released with great force,” causing significant injuries.
Now, Hinterdobler is suing the Elon Musk-led company and robotics manufacturer FANUC, which built the robotic arm, after struggling to pay medical expenses. In total, he’s seeking $51 million in damages, including $20 million for “pain, suffering, and inconvenience” and $10 million for “emotional distress,” according to The Independent.
Hinterdobler is accusing Tesla of “failing to ensure that the robot was safely de-energized, secured, and stable before allowing [him] to assist with the disassembly process.”
The lawsuit is yet another example of the EV maker’s poor track record when it comes to working conditions, particularly concerning its Fremont plant.
Last month, a lawsuit filed by the factory’s former head of security alleged that his team “routinely” confiscated drugs and guns onsite and investigated “acts of sexual deviance.” Tesla has also been accused of allowing racism to run rampant at the factory.
Earlier this year, Tesla was fined for violating the state’s workplace heat protection rules, putting workers’ health at risk.
Hinterdobler’s lawsuit also follows a string of concerning injuries that have taken place at Tesla’s facilities.
For instance, in 2021, a worker alleged he was clawed by a robot at the company’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, leaving a “trail of blood” on the factory floor.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health also slapped the carmaker with four safety violations in 2023 after an employee at the Fremont factory was seriously injured when she got pinned inside a Model Y vehicle. According to a subsequent investigation, Tesla failed to ensure that power was cut to a conveyor belt while workers were performing quality inspections.
In April 2018, a worker at the same plant was hospitalized with a broken jaw after being hit by a piece of equipment that moves vehicles along the assembly lines.
And a man collapsed and died while working on a Fremont powertrain line in 2022 — a mere month after a Tesla employee shot and killed a coworker in the factory’s parking lot.
In short, Hinterdobler’s complaint shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given the EV maker’s track record.
Tesla and FANUC have yet to respond to the engineer’s allegations.
More on the factory: Former Cop Says He Routinely Confiscated Guns, Fentanyl and Cocaine at Tesla Factory