A 70-year-old Loma Mar woman is suing Tesla, a company representative, and the organizers of a Cars and Coffee meetup after a head-on crash on State Route 84 that left her with a fractured spine, broken ribs, broken limbs, and a traumatic brain injury. The lawsuit alleges the Tesla representative was driving more than 80 mph in a 35 to 40 mph zone near La Honda on Aug. 30 when he lost control on a blind curve, crossed the double-yellow lines, and struck Michelle Brooks's 2014 Honda CR-V head-on.
The law firm Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy announced Thursday that it had filed the suit in San Mateo County Superior Court against Tesla, Inc., the group 9burgring, and Ambassador Wine Bars LLC, according to a release reported by financialcontent.com. The complaint identifies the driver as 21-year-old Micah Zuglian and alleges Tesla sent him to the gathering, organized by 9burgring and Ambassador Wine Bars, specifically to market the company's performance vehicles. Brooks was transported to Stanford Hospital, where the law firm said she underwent multiple surgeries for her injuries.
According to Road & Track, the lawsuit alleges that Zuglian, driving a company-owned Model Y, took two event-associated photographers for a drive to demonstrate the car's performance. Images from that drive allegedly showed the Model Y's speedometer displaying 83 mph, with another image reportedly showing 61 mph near a posted 35-mph speed-limit sign, before Zuglian allegedly crossed the double-yellow lines and struck Brooks's CR-V head-on.
Officials Reportedly Warned Organizers Beforehand
The complaint alleges that California Highway Patrol representatives, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, and Supervisor Ray Mueller's office met with event organizers before the gathering and urged them to cancel it over traffic safety concerns, per the same account. The suit describes the local roads as notorious for racing and claims more than 20 people have been killed and almost 800 injured in crashes in the vicinity over the past five years, according to the complaint.
The Aug. 30 collision happened as the Cars and Coffee event was wrapping up nearby, according to NBC Bay Area. Video reviewed by that station showed the Tesla swerving through mountain curves before the driver appeared to lose control, cross the center lines, and collide head-on with the oncoming Honda. As of the station's late-September report, CHP had not made a final determination about fault in the crash.
Separately, video obtained by The Almanac reportedly showed the Tesla reaching over 80 mph in a marked 35 mph zone shortly before the crash, as reported by paloaltoonline.com. That outlet reported reckless driving and speeding have been a growing concern among residents of Woodside, La Honda, and Kings Mountain.
A Pattern of Deadly Crashes Across the Region
CHP data accessed through UC Berkeley's Transportation Injury Mapping System shows 21 people killed and 792 injured in crashes on Highways 84, 35, and 9 in San Mateo County over the preceding five years, according to the NBC Bay Area report. The corridor has seen other deadly incidents: a separate head-on collision on Highway 84 near La Honda killed two people and hospitalized two others, per KTVU.
In a separate 2025 incident on the same highway, CHP Dublin reported that a speed contest on State Route 84 ended in a fatal head-on collision involving a Honda Civic, as Hoodline previously reported. And in July 2026, East Palo Alto cyclist Jakub Solovsky died in a head-on collision with a speeding Porsche on Highway 35, according to the same Palo Alto Online report.
Lawsuit Seeks Damages and Jury Trial
Brooks's suit alleges Tesla negligently entrusted the Model Y to its representative and failed to adequately supervise him, and that the event organizers were negligent in proceeding despite the reported safety warnings. The lawsuit names Ethan Garabedian, doing business as 9burgring, as an event organizer alongside Ambassador Wine Bars LLC, which hosted the gathering. Brooks is seeking damages and a jury trial.
The filing of the lawsuit does not establish liability on the part of Tesla, Zuglian, or the event organizers, and the allegations remain unproven in court.
