More bad news for Tesla — somebody driving one of their vehicles died this weekend after crashing into a firetruck … and happened to be in the same model that’s now facing a recall.
The accident happened Saturday in Walnut Creek, CA — where officials say a Tesla Model S plowed into a fire engine that was blocking off a freeway to cover another crew that was clearing a separate accident on I-680. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and a passenger in the car as well was transported to a hospital … their condition is unknown.
Photos taken from the crash site show the Tesla completely crushed, and the truck was severely damaged as well. A few firefighters who were on the truck suffered minor injuries.
Law enforcement says it’s unclear if the driver was under the influence or if they were using a self-driving feature. If it’s discovered the driver was, in fact, using the autopilot — which has since come under major scrutiny — it could spell more trouble for the EV company.
Tesla is currently under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — which is looking into how their automated driving system works in response to emergency vehicles on the road … this after at least 14 crashes under very similar circumstances.
There’ve been reports of other Tesla crashes as well in recent months — and the self-driving feature has been suspected to be, in part, part of the reason. As a result, Tesla announced Thursday it was yanking several of its vehicles — upwards of 363,000 — off the market due to potential problems with their self-driving. The Model S was also included in the recall.
