Parents file lawsuit in Piedmont Cybertruck crash that killed 3 college students

PIEDMONT, Calif. - A grieving family on Wednesday filed a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from a deadly Cybertruck crash in Piedmont where three college students died on the day before Thanksgiving. 

Carl and Noelle Tsukahara, the parents of 19-year-old Krysta Tsukahara, are suing the estate of Soren Dixon, who was the 19-year-old driver of the Cybertruck. Also named as a defendant is Charles Patterson, the owner of the vehicle in the November crash. Patterson is a relative of Dixon. 

The Tsukahara family said they filed the lawsuit to obtain more details about what happened before 3 a.m. on Nov. 27, 2024, when Dixon drove his relative's Cybertruck and crashed with three other friends, including their daughter, Jack Nelson, 20, and Jordan Miller, 20. 

Autopsy reports show that Dixon had alcohol, cocaine, and meth in his system. Tsukahara and Nelson also tested positive for alcohol and cocaine. 

"The family still doesn’t know what the course of events were that evening that led to this crash and why this vehicle caught fire," the family's statement read. "The family wants and deserves answers to those questions." 

The family is looking for access to the Cybertruck itself, which is currently with the California Highway Patrol, the family's attorney, Roger Dreyer, told KTVU.

"Our clients don’t want to speculate as to who is to blame," Dreyer said. "They want answers and additional information in order to see who is accountable for this tragedy and who played a role in their daughter’s death."

The lawsuit does not name Tesla, which makes the Cybertruck, as a defendant.

KTVU reached out to Patterson by phone, but was told he had no comment. 

The backstory:

At the time, police said that Dixon was speeding, though the exact speed hasn't been made public, and that he crashed into a tree at Hampton Road and King Avenue. 

Upon impact, the Cybertruck became engulfed in fire, and Dixon, Tsukahara and Nelson died. 

Miller was the only one to survive – he was pulled out by a friend who broke the windows of the vehicle and dragged him to safety.

Community members say that Miller has since returned to the University of Wisconsin, where he is a business student. 

Details of the lawsuit

Dig deeper:

In the lawsuit filed Wednesday, the parents allege Dixon "negligently and carelessly drove" the Cybertruck, losing control of the car, which caused it to catch on fire.

"This fire that started after the collision resulted in the death of Decedent Krysta Michelle Tsukahara, who was trapped in the subject vehicle," the lawsuit said.

The parents allege Patterson negligently entrusted Dixon with the Cybertruck "in such a fashion as to cause and/or contribute to the occurrence of the incident."

The parents said Wednesday, through a statement from a representative, that Krysta was not physically injured in the crash, but trapped in the Cybertruck after it caught fire. 

"Krysta was seated in the rear passenger seat of the vehicle when it crashed into a tree and caught fire. She was not physically injured in the impact, but was tragically trapped inside the vehicle as it burned, unable to escape," said Kellie DeMarco, a representative for the family. 

The parents said they've suffered both economic and non-economic damages, including the loss of their daughter's "love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, society, and moral support." 

The Tsukahara family is claiming damages for the medical expenses they incurred from the care Krysta received prior to her death, in addition to damages to her personal property. They're also asking for monetary damages to cover funeral and burial costs, along with the cost of their legal action.

"Krysta was a beautiful, bright young woman with her whole life ahead of her," her father, Carl Tsukahara, said in a statement. "We’ve had to endure not only the loss of our daughter, and our son the loss of his sister, but we have had to suffer through the silence of those who were with her that night and how it is that someone could be in this vehicle in the condition that he was in relative to his alcohol and drug use. Our family is seeking additional information regarding all aspects of this tragedy."

There are also unnamed defendants listed as "DOES 1 through 20" which the Plaintiffs say could be amended, if evidence emerges of either individuals or corporate entities that played a role in the crash. 

KTVU has reached out to the other families involved in the crash in the past, and they have asked for their privacy. 

No other family has filed a lawsuit at this point. 

KTVU reporter Jana Katsuyama contributed to this report. 

PiedmontNews