Photo: abc7ny
The Tesla Model S involved in a Texas crash this spring was driven by a human pilot, an NTSB investigation confirmed. The accident caused a wave of negative rumors and attacks on the manufacturer, as the police initially made imprudent comments that no one was in the driver's seat during the accident.
The driver, who sadly died in Texas in the spring when his Model S collided with a tree, was to blame for the accident. He was driving the car and activated the accelerator a few moments before the accident. The Model S reportedly hit 67 mph before turning off a residential street and crashing into a tree. The car owner's body was found in the back seat after the fire was extinguished.
These findings contradict the police officer's initial assumption, imprudently voiced to the press, that no one was in the driver's seat during the collision. This also confirms the earlier conclusion that the Autopilot system was also not activated during the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) tests have shown that the auto-steering function is not available on this section of the road due to the lack of lane markings. Autopilot cannot be operated without the auto-steering function.
Back in May, it was reported that surveillance footage of the owner of a house showed that two men get into the car—one into the driver's seat, the other into the front passenger seat. In addition, the examination confirmed that the driver was drunk.
"Footage from the owner's home security camera shows the owner entering the car's driver's seat and the passenger entering the front passenger seat. The car leaves and travels about 550 feet before departing the road on a curve, driving over the curb, and hitting a drainage culvert, a raised manhole, and a tree."
Tesla and its CEO initially claimed that even though the cops did not find anyone in the driver's seat, it was impossible for Autopilot to operate on this vehicle. Despite the company's statements and an unfinished investigation, a number of media outlets did not miss the opportunity to cast Tesla in a negative light, leading readers to the conclusion that Autopilot was the cause of the accident.
© 2021, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.
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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter
About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
