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Fatal Tesla Model X Crash Now Blamed on the Driver

According to various media reports which have surfaced since Wednesday, Tesla has officially blamed Walter Huang, the driver of the Model X, for the fatal crash that claimed his life.
Tesla blames driver for crash 1 photo
Photo: Twitter/Dean C. Smith
Several media outlets, including Fortune, report that Tesla sent an email in which it explained how there is no way the Autopilot could be blamed for the crash.

“The crash happened on a clear day with several hundred feet of visibility ahead, which means that the only way for this accident to have occurred is if Mr. Huang was not paying attention to the road, despite the car providing multiple warnings to do so.”

According to Huang’s family, the man had complained several times about a peculiar behavior of the Autopilot system on his car. On several occasions before the accident, ABC News reports, the system tried to veer towards the same barrier in which it eventually crashed.

Those claims have been used by Tesla to point out the fact that, if the driver knew about the problem, he shouldn’t have engaged the system at that location.

“According to the family, Mr. Huang was well aware that Autopilot was not perfect and, specifically, he told them it was not reliable in that exact location, yet he nonetheless engaged Autopilot at that location,” Tesla says.

The barrier in question has been singled out by the carmaker as being the main cause of the severity of the crash. Tesla posted back in March two photos showing how the barrier had either been removed or crushed in a previous accident without being replaced.

In the March crash, the Model X hit the barrier and was sent back into the incoming traffic. It got hit by another two cars and, as a result, the batteries on the car ignited.

Autopilot was engaged, and Tesla says the driver had received several visual and audible hands-on warning in the moments leading to the event.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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