Piedmont father speaks out for 1st time since daughter killed in Cybertruck crash
Family of woman who died in Piedmont crash speak out on lawsuit against driver's family
The father of Krysta Tsukahara, 19, who was among three recent Piedmont High grads who died in a crash of a Tesla Cybertruck, says he's suing the estate of the driver, who was also killed, in order to get answers about what happened.
PIEDMONT, Calif. - Piedmont father Carl Tsukahara gave his first in-person interview on Thursday, five months after his 19-year-old daughter, Krysta, and her two friends were killed just before Thanksgiving in a Cybertruck accident.
"She was kind, she was amazing, she had found her niche in the world," Carl Tsukahara said while sitting next to his wife, Noelle, who chose not to speak publicly.
He said his daughter had been "thriving" at Savannah College of Art and Design, where she had been a sophomore.
"I miss her every second," he said.
Krysta Tsukahara of Piedmont in an undated photo. Photo: Tsukahara family
Carl Tsukahara described his feelings a day after filing a wrongful death lawsuit in Alameda County, suing the estate of the 20-year-old driver of the Cybertruck, Soren Dixon, and the owner of the vehicle, in order to unearth more information about what happened leading up to the morning his daughter died.
He said on the day she died – Nov. 27, 2024 – he remembered the doorbell ringing very early in the morning.
Police, pastor at the door
The Piedmont chief of police and a local pastor were at the door.
"You fear for the worst," he recalled. "They told us the news. I never want this to happen to any other family. The pain and shock and horror were unbelievable."
What Carl Tsukahara was told was this: Dixon was driving home with his daughter, Jack Nelson, 20, and Jordan Miller, 20. All four had graduated from Piedmont High in 2023 and were college sophomores visiting home for Thanksgiving break.
The California Highway Patrol and autopsy reports indicate the friends had been at a get-together and Dixon crashed the Cybertruck, driving at a high rate of speed, hitting a retaining wall at Hampton Road and King Avenue. Just how fast Dixon had been driving has not been made public.
The electric vehicle caught on fire, and it was difficult to get the doors open, according to police and witness accounts.
Daughter still alive
Krysta Tsukahara, Nelson and Dixon died, devastating the tight-knit community.
As far as the Tsukahara family understands it, when the car crashed, their daughter wasn't killed immediately.
"Krysta was still alive," her father said. "She died a terrible death. It's going to haunt us forever."
Piedmont friend describes trying to save former classmates from deadly Cybertruck crash
A young Piedmont man described to police how he tried unsuccessfully to save three of his friends, but was able to rescue a fourth, from a deadly Cybertruck crash the day before Thanksgiving.
A friend was able to break the Cybertruck windows with tree branches, and pull Miller out of the car, making him the lone survivor of the crash.
Autopsy reports indicate the three who died had alcohol and cocaine in their systems. Dixon also had methamphetamine in his system, the reports show.
None of the other families have spoken out and have requested privacy since their children's deaths.
Tsukahara is the first family to file a lawsuit stemming from this tragedy at this point.
His suit does not name Tesla as a defendant.
The family's attorney, Roger Dreyer, said he doesn't just know yet if he will add the car company to the suit, but there is certainly information that might implicate Tesla about the Cybertruck catching fire and the inability to get out.
He said he has tried reaching out to Dixon's relatives to get answers about the truck and was referred to attorneys who have "stonewalled" him.
Wanting more details
Carl Tsukahara reiterated that he filed suit to understand all the details that surrounded his daughter's death.
"We want to know about the car," he said. "We want to know about what happened prior to the accident. I think it's just a natural thing for us to help us move forward as a family, to understand all the things that took place."
He said he hasn't had any real contact with any of the other families involved, including Dixon's family.
Carl Tsukahara said he realized that what happened was "terrible for all the families involved."
But what is so painful right now, he said, is not knowing so many details.
He also addressed the fact that drugs and alcohol had been used, noting that Dixon had been "seriously intoxicated."
As for his daughter, Carl Tsukahara said her Blood Alcohol Content was .028%, below the legal limit of what someone would be able to have to drive. He did not address the fact that the coroner had found drugs in her system as well.
"I know she's a minor," he said. "It would have been nice if it were zero, but our daughter was a good girl."
Carl Tsukahara said he knows a lawsuit won't fix everything.
"It doesn't bring my daughter back," he said, "but at least it will help us understand how we're going to try our best to move forward in this situation."