Tesla driver stuck in burning car, dies after crash in Florida



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An accident involving a 2016 Tesla Model S in Davies, Florida last Sunday was fatal to the driver. The electric sedan would have hit a tree before being engulfed by the flames with the driver inside. According to reports, emergency responders and onlookers said they were unable to rescue the driver.

The automatically deployable door handles on the outside do not seem to be deployed – the exterior handles of a Model S are electronically activated and stay flush to the door when it is not in use. is not used. It's as if a car was locked on the outside after a collision, preventing people from being able to physically open the door. According to Tesla, "When an airbag deploys, the S model opens all the doors, the trunk and extends all door handles". According to the reports on the scene, this does not seem to have happened in this particular accident.

Witnesses also testified that the airbags failed to deflate, which further impeded the escape or access of first responders, but we question the feasibility of such a scenario. It is still unclear why a driver, if he was aware, could not open the door from the inside. In any case, a full investigation should eventually make it possible to respond to reality.

Speed ​​seems to have been a major factor. Witnesses placed the Model S at "high speed" during its crash. Police apparently corroborated the fact that speed was a problem, the driver having lost control of his car while he was crossing the traffic. The driver crossed three lanes of traffic before flying to the median. The palms were not forgiving and the car would have caught fire right after being immobilized. Local police said that an officer had tried to break the window of the car to get the driver out, but that did not work either.

Firefighters finally managed to extinguish the flames on the scene, but it was too late for the driver. During transport from the scene, the Model S was re-lit, a common phenomenon in electric cars damaged by the battery.

We asked Tesla to comment and analyze the accident. Here is the statement we received in response: "We are deeply saddened by this accident and our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy, we have sought the cooperation of the local authorities to offer our cooperation. high speed can cause a fire in any type of car, not just in electric vehicles. "

Sophisticated door designs are accompanied by high-tech solutions for collisions, such as explosive locks on butterfly doors (the Mercedes SLS AMG). It is interesting to note that other manufacturers are using automatic deployment door handles, such as the Porsche 911 and Range Rover Evoque 992.

Door handles that do not open in non-emergency circumstances have been a problem on Teslas for some time now. While browsing through the official forums of Tesla, many owners report problems indicating that the descriptors do not unfold as they are supposed to do.

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