A Tesla driver, who crashed into a fire truck parked on a Northern California freeway on Saturday, was killed and a passenger was critically injured, reported news agency AP citing fire officials. The fire truck was stationed on the freeway to shield a crew from clearing another accident. Four firefighters inside the truck on Interstate 680 received treatment for minor injuries, said Tracie Dutter, assistant chief of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.
The driver was declared dead at the accident scene and the car has to be cut open to remove the passenger, who was moved to the hospital, Dutter added.
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The visuals of the incident showed the front end of the car crushed and the $1.4 million ladder truck damaged. It was not clear whether the driver was in a state of intoxication or whether the Tesla Model S was operating with automation or driving assistance features, said California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Lane.
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
On its part, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is trying to find how Tesla’s Autopilot system detects and responds to emergency vehicles parked on highways. So far, at least 14 Teslas have crashed into emergency vehicles while using the system.
The truck which was hit was parked diagonally on northbound lanes of the freeway with its lights on to protect responders to a previous accident that did cause any injury.
The fatal accident occurred took place at 4 am. The freeway was cleared after a few hours with the firetruck being towed away.
It is to be noted that the Model S was among the nearly 363,000 vehicles Tesla recalled last week because of potential flaws in its “Full Self-Driving” system.
The recall of Tesla was aimed at amending possible problems at intersections and with speed limits, it comes amid a broader investigation by US safety regulators into Tesla’s automated driving systems.