
Family of victim in fatal Piedmont Cybertruck crash sues driver’s family
Months after their daughter, Krysta Tsukahara, perished in a fatal Tesla Cybertruck crash in Piedmont last November, her parents are now seeking justice against the driver’s family with a wrongful death suit filed in Alameda County on Wednesday.
The Tsukaharas claim they have been stonewalled by the Dixon family, whose son, Soren Dixon, was the driver of the Cybertruck, from learning about the circumstances that led up to their daughter’s death. Additionally, they claim they have been barred from accessing the Cybertruck in the wake of the Nov. 27 incident that has kept them from finding closure.
The Tsukaharas requested privacy in the wake of their daughter’s death. Wednesday marked the end to that silence for the first time.
“Krysta was a beautiful, bright young woman with her whole life ahead of her,” her father, Carl Tsukahara, said in a press release. “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.”
In the evening of Nov. 26, Dixon and Tsukahara had attended a party in Piedmont with other graduates of Piedmont High School after they had returned home from their respective colleges. The underage group consumed alcohol throughout the evening, with Dixon himself consuming approximately 8 alcoholic beverages, split between vodka and beer, in addition to cocaine, according to one unidentified witness interviewed by California Highway Patrol.
Between 2 and 3 a.m. on Nov. 27, the group of teenagers planned to move to an address on Wildwood Gardens in Piedmont. Dixon urged members of the party to go pick up a Cybertruck – registered to his grandfather Charles Patterson – located at his home at 6861 Estates Dr. An autopsy of Dixon later found that his blood alcohol content was 0.195% – more than twice the legal limit for drivers over the age of 21 and nearly 20 times the limit for someone of his age, according to the Alameda County Coroner’s Office.
Dixon entered the driver’s seat, Jordan Miller took the passenger’s seat, while Jack Nelson, 20, and Tsukahara sat in the backseat as the group set out for a joyride through Piedmont. As the group neared their destination, Dixon failed to adjust to the curve on Hampton Ave. and crashed into a tree. A subsequent fire from the crash engulfed the car in flames with Tsukhara, Dixon and Nelson inside. A bystander following the vehicle rescued Miller through a window of the truck.
The Tsukaharas’ lawsuit alleges that Dixon “negligently and carelessly drove” the vehicle. The Tsukaharas also allege that 20 John/Jane Does – individuals, corporations or associates who are unknown to the Tsukaharas – were owners or operators of the vehicle who entrusted Dixon to operate the vehicle.
The Tsukaharas are seeking both non-economic damages in regard to the love, affection and companionship of their daughter, and economic damages for the loss of Krysta’s future financial support and funeral costs, according to the lawsuit.
Beyond damages, the Tsukaharas are seeking answers for the tragedy that struck their family.
“Our family is seeking additional information regarding all aspects of this tragedy,” Carl Tsukuhara said.