A fatal crash involving a Tesla Model S and a fire truck parked on a Northern California freeway has left one person dead and another critically injured. The incident occurred on Saturday when the car plowed into the truck, which had been parked on Interstate 680 to shield a crew clearing another accident.
According to fire officials, the driver of the Tesla was declared dead at the scene, while the passenger had to be cut out of the vehicle and taken to the hospital in critical condition. Four firefighters who were in the truck at the time of the crash were treated for minor injuries.
Photos of the scene showed the front end of the car was crushed, and the $1.4 million ladder truck was damaged. It is unclear whether the driver may have been intoxicated or whether the Tesla was operating with automation or driving assistance features.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating how Tesla’s Autopilot system detects and responds to emergency vehicles parked on highways, following at least 14 accidents involving Tesla vehicles crashing into emergency vehicles while using the system.
The fatal crash occurred just days after Tesla announced a recall of nearly 363,000 vehicles, including the Model S, due to potential flaws in its “Full Self-Driving” system. While the recall aims to address problems with intersections and speed limits, it comes amid a wider investigation by U.S. safety regulators into Tesla’s automated driving systems.
The incident caused significant disruption to traffic on the freeway, with the firetruck having to be towed away and the northbound lanes being closed for several hours. The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District has confirmed that the truck had its lights on and was parked diagonally to protect responders to an earlier accident that did not result in injuries.
(Inputs from AP)
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The Chenab Times News Desk