Photo: NDR | Screenshot
A horror crash took place on Friday night near Dohren in Germany. A Tesla split in half, and the driver died on the spot.
The 33-year old driver apparently lost control of his Tesla when turning left on road 141, somewhere near Dorhen (Harburg district). His car slammed into several trees on the side of the road and was simply cut in two.
The photos taken at the crash scene show the car torn to pieces. The rear axle, trunk, and rear seats were found on the field near the road, hundreds of feet from the front end of the car, in a corn field. The latter was found upside down near the road. The pieces of the battery pack were also scattered all around.
Authorities assume that the car was traveling at high speed. That could be the only explanation why parts of it flew through the air hundreds of feet around.
According to the local fire brigade, the accident must have gone unnoticed for several minutes. Other drivers eventually noticed the wreck at around 01:10 last night and alerted the emergency service. The Tesla did not make an automatic emergency call.
It wasn’t much that the paramedics who arrived at the scene could do. They tried to save the driver, after rescue workers freed him from the car. But he had sustained injuries incompatible with life.
The cause of the crash and why the Tesla split in half are yet unknown. Authorities are investigating the case. Onlookers claim the car was probably driving using Autopilot. But police are yet to find out of that is true. The traffic on road 141 was closed for more than three hours, as reported by NDR.
The car hit a Honda with five people on board, slammed into a light pole, and split in half. The front end caught fire, while the rear end got stuck between the walls of a synagogue.
Two passengers in the Honda were injured, and so were two police officers. The driver, who had stolen the Model S, is also in pretty bad condition.
In normal circumstances, when the system is still active, it can share with the emergency services the exact location of the crash, the number of occupants in the vehicle, the speed at the moment of the crash, whether airbags were deployed, as well as information on the possible risk of fire.
In Europe, the eCall feature has been mandatory standard equipment for all new cars. The system sends GPS coordinates and VIN to the rescuers. The system is not available in the United States.
Furthermore, Tesla cars are equipped with Collision Avoidance Assist. The system includes Forward Collision Warning, which provides feedback warnings if the car detects the risk of a frontal collision. It also includes the Automatic Emergency Braking and the Obstacle-Aware Acceleration. While guessing what the former can do is not rocket science, the latter reduces speed if the cameras and sensors of the car detect an object in the immediate driving path. None of these seems to have happened at the crash scene near Dohren.
The photos taken at the crash scene show the car torn to pieces. The rear axle, trunk, and rear seats were found on the field near the road, hundreds of feet from the front end of the car, in a corn field. The latter was found upside down near the road. The pieces of the battery pack were also scattered all around.
Authorities assume that the car was traveling at high speed. That could be the only explanation why parts of it flew through the air hundreds of feet around.
According to the local fire brigade, the accident must have gone unnoticed for several minutes. Other drivers eventually noticed the wreck at around 01:10 last night and alerted the emergency service. The Tesla did not make an automatic emergency call.
It wasn’t much that the paramedics who arrived at the scene could do. They tried to save the driver, after rescue workers freed him from the car. But he had sustained injuries incompatible with life.
The cause of the crash and why the Tesla split in half are yet unknown. Authorities are investigating the case. Onlookers claim the car was probably driving using Autopilot. But police are yet to find out of that is true. The traffic on road 141 was closed for more than three hours, as reported by NDR.
Not the first time these past few days a Tesla splits in half
Just several days ago, a Model S crashed in a high-speed chase, at well over 100 mph, on the streets of Los Angeles, California.The car hit a Honda with five people on board, slammed into a light pole, and split in half. The front end caught fire, while the rear end got stuck between the walls of a synagogue.
Two passengers in the Honda were injured, and so were two police officers. The driver, who had stolen the Model S, is also in pretty bad condition.
What does a Tesla do in case of a crash?
A Tesla is supposed to automatically alert emergency services in case of a crash. But the one involved in the accident near Dorhen, Germany, did not. The car was probably too damaged and unable to make the call.In normal circumstances, when the system is still active, it can share with the emergency services the exact location of the crash, the number of occupants in the vehicle, the speed at the moment of the crash, whether airbags were deployed, as well as information on the possible risk of fire.
In Europe, the eCall feature has been mandatory standard equipment for all new cars. The system sends GPS coordinates and VIN to the rescuers. The system is not available in the United States.
Furthermore, Tesla cars are equipped with Collision Avoidance Assist. The system includes Forward Collision Warning, which provides feedback warnings if the car detects the risk of a frontal collision. It also includes the Automatic Emergency Braking and the Obstacle-Aware Acceleration. While guessing what the former can do is not rocket science, the latter reduces speed if the cameras and sensors of the car detect an object in the immediate driving path. None of these seems to have happened at the crash scene near Dohren.
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