Switzerland Puts Fiery Tesla Crash Under the Microscope
Swiss authorities are looking into a fatal crash involving a Tesla vehicle that rolled and burst into flames.
According to a report, a 48-year old German male was driving a Tesla on a highway in the Canton of Ticino in Switzerland when it impacted a barrier, rolled and caught fire. The cause of the crash is not yet known, with local Ticino authorities saying that “so far, the only thing for sure is that there was an accident with a Tesla.”
A Tesla spokesperson said the company was looking into the crash, noting that it appeared as though the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed.
“We are deeply saddened by this accident and we are working to establish the facts of the incident and offer our full cooperation to local authorities,” Tesla said in a statement made to Reuters. “Tesla has not yet received any data from the car and thus does not know the facts of what occurred, although it appeared to be a high-speed collision.”
The accident, which occurred last Thursday, is one in a number of recent crashes involving Teslas that has received widespread media coverage. Last Friday, a Tesla Model S slammed into the back of a firetruck at a red light in South Jordan, Utah. The driver of the vehicle, a 28-year old woman, said the vehicle’s semi-autonomous Autopilot system was engaged and that she was looking at her phone at the time of the crash. The driver suffered a broken ankle in the crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the incident and said it “will take appropriate action based on its review.”
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Two teenagers were killed in Florida occurred last week when the Tesla Model S they were traveling in went off the road, hit a concrete barrier and caught fire. Autopilot was not engaged at the time of the crash, authorities believe, and the area the crash occurred in is allegedly known as “dead man’s curve,” according to a Fox report.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been outspoken about recent media coverage of crashes involving Tesla vehicles, saying in a tweet that it’s “super messed up that a Tesla crash resulting in a broken ankle is front page news and the ~40,000 people who died in US auto accidents alone in past year get almost no coverage.” He later added that he was impressed the driver involved in the crash in Utah only suffered a broken ankle.
It’s not yet clear when investigators may reach a conclusion in regards to the crash in Switzerland. NHTSA has also yet to provide a timeline for its investigation into the crash in Utah.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.
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Elon Musk and his suck ups were gloating over two weeks ago that on Monday there were going to be massive lockouts and firings of subcontractors. Elon Musk ranted that subcontractors were like drunken sloths and barnacles on top of barnacles. Yet two weeks later the silence is deafening on these threats. Was there no major lockout and no major firings of subcontractors? Was Elon Musk and his minions "wagging the dog"? Was it a phony war to distract people's attention away from all the Tesla crashes, Tesla injuries, Tesla battery fires and explosions, missed production goals, missed financial goals, etc.? If there really was a major lockout and massive firings like Elon Musk and his evil minions threatened; then why isn't the media covering all the drunken sloths and barnacles on top of barnacles (subcontractors) complaining about being locked out and fired? Why isn't the media covering the subcontractors threatening lawsuits and contacting lawyers to sue Tesla? Is it because there was no mass lockout and no mass firings? Was it all fake news? Elon Musk and his cult of suck ups have no credibility. They cannot be trusted. Reportedly one of the family members that was burned to death recently in a Tesla crash in Fort Lauderdale Florida seemingly didn't think Tesla's lithium batteries were flammable because of all the false safety hype from Tesla, Elon Musk and their suck ups. The driver that was injured crashing a Tesla into a large red fire truck support vehicle, admitted that she was distracted and had the Tesla on autopilot. She was honest enough to admit to being at fault, regretfully Elon Musk and his minions are using her as a scapegoat. The driver is at fault, however there is much more blame to go around then just the driver. Tesla's "autopilot" is so lame that it can't detect stopped vehicles or stoplights, concrete barriers, etc. Reportedly Elon Musk and other managers vetoed advanced sensors that would have improved safety and autonomy; in favor of spending money and rushing the Tesla into production. So it seems safety is a low priority at Tesla. Previously Elon Musk and his evil minions falsely claimed that Tesla batteries were landfill safe. However a recent crash, where a Tesla driver was killed when the Tesla was on autopilot and the Tesla ran into a concrete lane divider the Tesla battery shortly after burst into flames. Reportedly the driver died of burns and other injuries. Even after firemen extinguished the Tesla battery fire, the battery fire restarted several times over the next few days. If that damage battery had been disposed of in a landfill shortly after the accident, it could have started a major landfill fire and could have been a major environmental problem. Not long ago, Elon Musk and his evil minions falsely portrayed that Tesla battery fires would be slow to start and give time for drivers to get out of a Tesla before a fire started or was engulfed. However those lies were debunked, by the recent Tesla crash in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Reportedly eyewitnesses said the crashed Tesla was on fire before the vehicle came to a stop. The fire was so quick and so intense that would be rescuers couldn't attempt a rescue. It seems to two of the occupants were burned alive in the crashed Tesla. The driver was seemingly at fault for excessive speed and reckless operation, but I don't think they should be scapegoats. Again there is plenty of blame to go around. I think Tesla, Elon Musk and his evil minions are also partly to blame.
i doubt Switzerland will tolerate fiery cars for too long.