Tesla Model S crash kills US driver after door handles fail in resulting fire
Following an incident in 2016 which involved a Tesla S driver who was killed after leaving his car unattended in its so-called “Autopilot” mode, Tesla is in the headlines for another crash. This accident that happened in Florida, US, ended up in the unfortunate loss of the driver’s life as the responders were not able to open the fancy doors of the Tesla Model S.
The Model S is fitted with door handles that sit flush in the panels. Ideally, in the event of an accident in which an airbag gets inflated, these handles extend themselves out, enabling access to rescue teams. But in this case, witnesses say that it didn’t happen. Due to this, the emergency responders and onlookers were unable to rescue the driver from the car which had started to go up in flames after it hit a tree.
As per the witnesses, the Model S was speeding and it had crossed three lanes of traffic before losing control and crashing into the tree. An officer from the local police tried to get the driver out of the vehicle by breaking the glass, which did not manage to do so.
The fire was gradually put out but, sadly, it was too late for the driver. The Model S reignited itself during the transport from the scene, which is apparently a common occurrence for electric cars after an accident which damages their batteries. This is not the first Tesla to catch fire either, as many other such fiery accidents involving the EV brand’s products have been caught on camera as well.
Tesla responds, “We are deeply saddened by this accident and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. We have reached out to the local authorities to offer our cooperation. We understand that speed is being investigated as a factor in this crash, and know that high speed collisions can result in a fire in any type of car, not just electric vehicles.”
There is video of the fire from witnesses.
Comments
Nigel Denning
Dont be a twat and crash your car! I never have. Just Darwinism at work…..
Leborde
Buyers need to UN-DER-STAND that buying a Tesla is be a beta-tester. Proof done here again. Cars rely on hundreds and thousands of engineers in R&D and multi-decades of development. This experience can’t be replaced even by 10 years on intense R&D with just a handful of (surely brilliant) engineers and all the money in the world.
This Elon guy comes here building a car as if he was building a computer or so: this is a dangerous and wrong approach.
Farhan
Doors don’t open and the car gets the attention not the root cause of driver speeding and loosing control.
Neel Patira
I really feel sorry for this occupant. It seems that people are paying heed to the advancements which have taken place in technology resulting in a surge in convenience and comfort but are just neglecting its shortcomings. The lesson is that we should never rely completely on tech as it too is developed by humans and can go faulty. More the tech, higher the sophistication, greater the risk. What’s the purpose of buying such an expensive electric car if it fails to respond promptly during jeopardy? I think it’s the time to redo the homework and provide only that tech which is of paramount importance and exclude such things as autonomous driving and other safety aids thanks to the dire results.