A Wisconsin family has filed a lawsuit against Tesla, alleging design flaws in a 2016 Model S trapped five people inside during a fiery crash in Verona last November, leading to their deaths. The suit claims the vehicle's electronic doors failed after a battery fire, preventing escape despite the initial impact being survivable. Filed by the adult children of two victims, the complaint highlights hidden manual release mechanisms and seeks unspecified damages.
On November 1, 2024, a 2016 Tesla Model S veered off the road and struck a tree late at night in Verona, a suburb of Madison, Wisconsin. The crash killed all five occupants: driver Barry Sievers, 55, of Belleville; passengers Jeffrey Bauer, 54, and Michelle Bauer, 55, both of Crandon; and Josh Stahl, 48, and Tammy Stahl, 48, both of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. The victims were friends participating in fundraising for Type 1 diabetes research through the nonprofit Breakthrough T1D, with Michelle Bauer known for emceeing events in Wisconsin. Her son, Jesse Alswager, had died from Type 1 diabetes complications at age 13 in 2010.
The Dane County Sheriff's Office reported that road conditions, excess speed, and impaired driving contributed to the collision. Toxicology tests indicated all occupants were legally drunk at the time, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. A nearby homeowner who called 911 heard screaming from inside the vehicle, and authorities found a cluster of bodies in the front seat, suggesting attempts to escape.
Last week, four adult children of Jeffrey and Michelle Bauer filed the lawsuit in Dane County Circuit Court, case number 2025CV003601. The complaint alleges Tesla knew of design flaws that ignited a rapid battery fire and disabled the electronic door systems. "Tesla’s design choices created a highly foreseeable risk: that occupants who survived a crash would remain trapped inside a burning vehicle," the suit states. It claims the backseat doors rely on a low-voltage system that fails in fires, requiring passengers to lift carpet to access an unlabeled metal tab for manual release—a mechanism many are unaware of.
"In foreseeable emergency scenarios involving power loss and fire, rear-seat passengers, including children and non-owner guests, are left to fumble blindly through smoke and flames for an unlabeled and hidden release mechanism they were never informed existed," the lawsuit adds. The suit also names Sievers' estate and insurer as defendants for negligence and seeks damages covering medical, funeral costs, and pain and suffering. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.
This case echoes broader concerns, including a September National Highway Traffic Safety Administration probe into Tesla door defects after handle failures trapped children in vehicles. Similar lawsuits accuse Tesla of trapping occupants in burning Cybertrucks, such as one near San Francisco killing three teens and another near Houston claiming one life.
