The driver of a Tesla Model S was killed, and a passenger seriously injured early Saturday after the vehicle plowed into a fire truck at a high rate of speed that was shielding first responders assisting another accident on a California highway.
AP News spoke with Tracie Dutter, assistant chief of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, about the Tesla crash on I-680 at Treat Boulevard near Walnut Creek. She said four firefighters sustained minor injuries after the Tesla struck the ladder truck around 0400 local time.
Dutter said the driver of the Tesla died at the scene. A hydraulic rescue tool, also known as the 'jaws of life', had to cut through the car's metal structure to remove the passenger who was taken to the hospital. Luckily, the impact of the crash didn't trigger a lithium battery fire.
Photos tweeted by the fire department showed the mangled Tesla and damaged fire truck.
Slow down and move over when approaching emergency vehicles. Truck 1 was struck by a Tesla while blocking I-680 lanes from a previous accident. Driver pronounced dead on-scene; passenger was extricated & transported to hospital. Four firefighters also transported for evaluation. pic.twitter.com/YCGn8We1bK
— Con Fire PIO (@ContraCostaFire) February 18, 2023
California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Lane said it was unclear whether the Tesla driver had automation or driving assistance features on at the time of the crash or if the person was intoxicated.
This isn't the first time a Tesla has collided with an emergency vehicle (read: here & here) :
"At least 14 Teslas have crashed into emergency vehicles while using the system," AP pointed out.
And on Thursday, Tesla announced a recall of nearly 363,000 vehicles with its "Full Self-Driving" system to fix problems with how it behaves around intersections and following posted speed limits. The fix will be as simple as an over-the-air update.
The question remains, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will soon find out -- if the driver of Tesla had driver-assistance systems engaged at the time of the crash.
The driver of a Tesla Model S was killed, and a passenger seriously injured early Saturday after the vehicle plowed into a fire truck at a high rate of speed that was shielding first responders assisting another accident on a California highway.
AP News spoke with Tracie Dutter, assistant chief of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, about the Tesla crash on I-680 at Treat Boulevard near Walnut Creek. She said four firefighters sustained minor injuries after the Tesla struck the ladder truck around 0400 local time.
Dutter said the driver of the Tesla died at the scene. A hydraulic rescue tool, also known as the ‘jaws of life’, had to cut through the car’s metal structure to remove the passenger who was taken to the hospital. Luckily, the impact of the crash didn’t trigger a lithium battery fire.
Photos tweeted by the fire department showed the mangled Tesla and damaged fire truck.
Slow down and move over when approaching emergency vehicles. Truck 1 was struck by a Tesla while blocking I-680 lanes from a previous accident. Driver pronounced dead on-scene; passenger was extricated & transported to hospital. Four firefighters also transported for evaluation. pic.twitter.com/YCGn8We1bK
— Con Fire PIO (@ContraCostaFire) February 18, 2023
California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Lane said it was unclear whether the Tesla driver had automation or driving assistance features on at the time of the crash or if the person was intoxicated.
This isn’t the first time a Tesla has collided with an emergency vehicle (read: here & here) :
“At least 14 Teslas have crashed into emergency vehicles while using the system,” AP pointed out.
And on Thursday, Tesla announced a recall of nearly 363,000 vehicles with its “Full Self-Driving” system to fix problems with how it behaves around intersections and following posted speed limits. The fix will be as simple as an over-the-air update.
The question remains, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will soon find out — if the driver of Tesla had driver-assistance systems engaged at the time of the crash.
Loading…
