Burned Alive in a Tesla: Widow Sues Elon Musk After Husband 'Melted' in £80k Cybertruck Fireball

A Houston-area family has filed a wrongful-death suit alleging a Tesla Cybertruck turned a survivable single-vehicle crash into a fatal fire that trapped 47-year-old nurse Michael Sheehan inside.

The petition, lodged in Harris County, says his 2024 Cybertruck left the road near Beach City, Texas, struck a culvert and ignited, with heat so intense it caused 'thermal fracture' of his bones.

His widow is seeking justice through a groundbreaking lawsuit by taking on the titan of electric vehicles himself, Elon Musk, in a case that questions the very safety of the £80k Cybertruck. Tesla has not commented on the issue so far.

A Fatal Design Flaw?

The lawsuit filed in Texas claims that Michael Sheehan was incinerated in his Cybertruck as the vehicle's stainless-steel body turned into an inferno that reached 5,000 degrees, causing his skeleton to break apart.

The lawsuit states that just three months after purchasing the futuristic pickup, Michael Sheehan was driving near Beach City, approximately 30 miles east of Houston. His vehicle left the road, crashed into a culvert, and became engulfed in flames.

The court filings stated that the intense fire trapped Sheehan inside his vehicle as the batteries of the $100,000 (£ 74,319.88) SUV failed. The lawsuit claims the blaze became so hot that it caused Sheehan's bones to fall apart literally.

The Unsurvivable Crash

Attorney S Scott West told The Independent that the man was 'eight inches shorter in length than he was before he burned,' attributing the change to 'thermal fracture.'

In June, Sheehan's widow, Shannon, and his parents filed the lawsuit. They claimed that Tesla sold a vehicle with such a flawed design that a crash he could have survived instead resulted in a deadly fire.

'This was a single-vehicle crash,' the petition states. 'The crash forces were survivable... except for the fire, ergonomic shortcomings, and deficient crashworthiness.' West, a trial lawyer and former industrial design engineer, criticised the company's priorities.

He told The Independent that the vehicle's 'spaceship' design is a 'double-edged sword' and that drivers are 'riding on top of 3,000 pounds of batteries.' West accused the Musk-led EV giant of prioritising the outward appearance over basic safety.

This choice allegedly made it almost impossible for Sheehan to escape the vehicle once it lost power, trapping him inside a fire. The lawsuit claims that when the Cybertruck's power is cut, its electric doors cannot be opened. The filing states that the outside handles don't work and the internal manual release latches are 'unreasonably difficult to locate in an emergency.'

When a Crash Isn't the Cause

According to the lawsuit, Tesla also failed to provide owners with sufficient 'warnings or training' on how to escape after an accident. 'Michael was a Mensa-level guy, very, very smart,' West told The Independent. 'But when Tesla delivered this [Cybertruck] to him, the instructions they gave him were woefully inadequate to handle a situation like this.'

West confirmed that Sheehan had consumed alcohol, a detail mentioned in the complaint. However, he maintained that this 'shouldn't sign his death warrant.'

The lawsuit also names The Barn Whiskey Bar, operated by 3180 Bar, LLC, as a defendant, claiming the establishment allegedly overserved Sheehan on the night of the crash.

The lawyers allege the bar continued to serve Sheehan even though he was already inebriated and did not intervene or offer safe ways for him to get home.

Family and friends remembered Sheehan, a registered nurse, as a devoted husband with a 'gentle spirit.' His obituary noted that he loved to cook for those close to him, was passionate about zombie movies, and lived his life 'authentically' and 'unapologetically.'

'Knowing and loving Michael was a true joy,' his obituary read. 'He made a profound impact on so many lives. He was unique, authentic, caring, funny, and he lived his life unapologetically.'

A History of Recalls

According to The Independent, Sheehan was the first person to die in a Cybertruck accident since the model's launch in November 2023. Months later, another Cybertruck crash in California killed three college students who were burned to death.

In April, a fiery Cybertruck crash in Los Angeles left USC basketball recruit Alijah Arenas, the son of former NBA player Gilbert Arenas, in an induced coma. Since its launch, Tesla has recalled the Cybertruck at least eight times for various issues, including detached accelerator pedals and delaminated body panels.

The model has also suffered from a sharp decrease in resale value and sluggish sales as its rivals gain ground. West stated that he hopes the Sheehan case will finally compel Tesla and Elon Musk to address the dangers associated with their vehicles.