50-year-old Robotics Technician, Peter Hinterdobler, Had To Spend $1 Million In Medical Bills

Advertisment



A Tesla employee sued Elon Musk’s tech company with a $51 million lawsuit after a “malfunctioning robot” knocked him unconscious at its Fremont plant in California. The 50-year-old robotics technician, Peter Hinterdobler, claimed in a civil complaint that he was assisting an engineer in disassembling the machine, which had been relocated from the Model 3 production line, when the incident occurred.

What Happened to Peter Hinterdobler?


According to the filing, “while the engineer attempted to remove the motor at the base of the robot to access its internal dress pack, the robot's arm suddenly and without warning released with great force.” 

The complaint adds that “the arm’s motion used both its own power and tension,” striking Hinterdobler with “substantial force that threw him to the floor and left him unconscious, alongside other serious injuries”.

Advertisment

“The release involved both the robotic arm's own power and the force of an approximately 8,000-pound counterbalance weight,” said Hinterdobler.

Hinterdobler’s complaint contends the robot had been placed in an “area not designated for such equipment,” and that Tesla subsequently “implemented new rigging and safety protocols specifically related to the… robot involved in [Hinterdobler’s] injury.”

This is not the first time that Tesla has faced such an allegation. In 2021, regulators were told of an incident at the company’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, where a worker was reportedly pinned against a wall by a malfunctioning robot. “The machine allegedly dug its claws into the employee’s back and arm until a colleague hit the emergency stop button, freeing him. The man escaped but tumbled down a chute used for scrap metal, leaving a trail of blood behind,” according to witnesses.

Advertisment

Additionally, Hinterdobler alleged that Tesla has denied him access to video footage of the incident, despite repeated requests.


Previous Accidents in the Tesla Factory

Over the years, robots have been increasingly used in the manufacturing sector, and so have the number of injuries and deaths. In the US, the first-ever robot-related lethal industrialaccident was reported in 1979, when a worker at a Ford plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, died after being hit in the head by a robotic arm. 

Tesla’s first major production facility, the Fremont plant, has been under repeated scrutiny over workplace safety practices. But the company continued to expand production of its electric vehicles under Musk’s ownership.

Advertisment

Tesla’s Model Y, Model S, Model 3, and Model X lines are manufactured at the 22,000-person Fremont factory.  Previously, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Tesla in 2023 over allegations of unbridled racism at the same plant.

The Hinterdobler incident took place on 22 July 2023, which has already cost the man around $1 million in medical bills, with a further $6 million in treatment anticipated. The lawsuit seeks damages of $20 million for pain, suffering, and inconvenience, $10 million for emotional distress, $1 million for loss of past earnings, $8 million for future earning capacity, and $5 million for past and future household services, as per reports.

His lawyer emphasized that the “figures remain subject to change”.