At Tesla's Fremont, California plant in November 2019, a stack of three steel skids on an automated conveyor system knocked a worker down and dragged him more than 15 feet, seriously injuring both his legs.
- Date of incident
- 2019-11-01
- Location
- Fremont, California, USA
- Sources
- 7
Established by press reporting. No regulator or court document is linked to this case yet.
How the event developed
- 2025-04-14Lawsuit
At Tesla's Fremont, California plant in November 2019, a stack of three steel skids on an automated conveyor system knocked worker a person down and dragged him more than 15 feet, seriously injuring both his legs.
expressnews.com - 2025-09-22Lawsuit
A Tesla Fremont factory robotics technician, a person, was struck by a robot arm that suddenly released during disassembly, throwing him to the floor, knocking him unconscious, and causing significant injuries.
assemblymag.com
Every claim above traces to one of these
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- expressnews.comAt Tesla's Fremont, California plant in November 2019, a stack of three steel skids on an automated conveyor system knocked worker Paul Janikowski down and dragged him more than 15 feet, seriously injuring both his legs.2025-04-14copy 2026-10-14tier 2
- assemblymag.comA Tesla Fremont factory robotics technician, Peter Hinterdobler, was struck by a robot arm that suddenly released during disassembly, throwing him to the floor, knocking him unconscious, and causing significant injuries.2025-09-22copy 2026-10-13tier 2
- carscoops.comWorker claims Tesla robot knocked him unconscious, files $51 million lawsuit2025-09-24copy 2026-10-16tier 2
- autoblog.comTesla sued for $51 million after a factory robot knocked a worker unconscious.2025-09-24copy 2026-10-15tier 2
- jalopnik.comRobotics technician Peter Hinterdobler, 50, was knocked unconscious and seriously injured at Tesla's Fremont, California plant when a robotic arm on the Model 3 production line suddenly released with great force while he was helping disassemble it, throwing him to the floor.2025-09-24copy 2026-10-16tier 2
- futurism.comA robotics technician, Peter Hinterdobler, was knocked unconscious when a FANUC robotic arm's counterbalance weight suddenly released during a planned disassembly at Tesla's Fremont, California plant.2025-09-25copy 2026-10-17tier 2
- cbs8.comTesla faces lawsuit after a robotic arm knocked a worker unconscious and pinned him to the ground at a factory2025-10-06no copytier 2
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