[UPDATED] 2 die in Tesla crash - NHTSA reports driver seat occupied

[EVNow]

Anyway, even if AS and AP were somehow engaged, and they self-accelerated to high speed, it's still likely driver error.

Exactly. That is the crucial part. It was not somehow a mistake made by AP - but intentional act by the driver (though with unintended consequences as for as we know).

BTW, one thing I don't see anyone comment on is the response of the family. They have been very quite.

To me it signals that they think / know that the driver caused the crash and not Tesla AP.

 

[firsttruck]

The marks from removing the car are here:
View attachment 661693

Looks like the Model S stuck the right edge of the manhole cover.
It would help to know how much the right side of the manhole sticks up above the ground.

Is there anyone who lives in the area that can report back with this info?

 

[ev_go123]

Looks like the Model S stuck the right edge of the manhole cover.
It would help to know how much the right side of the manhole sticks up above the ground.

Is there anyone who lives in the area that can report back with this info?

Somewhat hard to tell, but I think that might just be the tire mark: it lines up perfectly with the tire mark leading up to the manhole.

What I think would be more interesting to check out would be potential damage to the storm drain (or drainage culvert as the NTSB puts it).

 

[cwerdna]

That guy has a history.

Instagram's Richest Teen Is Currently In Jail And Not Feeling Very Lavish

Param Sharma, aka itslavishbitch, has finally angered the wrong person. The self-proclaimed "rich kid" apparently ended up behind bars with a 90-day sentence for selling a stolen iPhone on Craigslist.

www.mtv.com

ps : Param may be a public safety hazard in a novel way - but every drunk driver, every driver that speeds - heck, everyone who doesn't wear a mask in a pandemic is a public safety hazard.

Thanks. I had no idea about him until I saw the KTVU news story on TV the other night. KTVU is a local station for me.

I became aware of Bay Area man charged in Tesla stunt once labeled 'most spoiled kid in US' today.

 

[Needsdecaf]

Well, rich is kind of relative. McCain said / joked in 2008 - middle class is anyone who makes $5M or less in a year.

John McCain's Definition of 'Rich'

Did John McCain say he would define the income level that divides the middle class from the rich as $5 million?

www.snopes.com

My point was that he does not have the money he claims. Not to make a judgment on what constitutes rich. Let's just say he's a douchebag wannabe and call it that, ok?

BTW, one thing I don't see anyone comment on is the response of the family. They have been very quite.

To me it signals that they think / know that the driver caused the crash and not Tesla AP.

Or they are preparing a lawsuit. I wouldn't read anything into their silence. These are smart people with money. They're not going to blab to the press looking for sympathy.

 

[Needsdecaf]

Looks like the Model S stuck the right edge of the manhole cover.
It would help to know how much the right side of the manhole sticks up above the ground.

Is there anyone who lives in the area that can report back with this info?

No, the road is inside a gated community. I live in the area but it is inaccessible.

 

[SMAlset]

Despite being good friends it would also not be unheard of for any passengers or their families to sue the driver where injury or death occurs, so another reason not to say more than required.

 

[SMAlset]

As for the manhole cover I thought I read it protruded up something like 9 inches. However that sounds really high unless intentional to prevent someone cutting the grass from not seeing it. In that CNBC photo with the fire hydrant someone posted recently, it does appear to stick up from the ground a good bit. Not sure if I recall the 9” from official report, or news coverage. I tend to believe either hitting the curb, the drainage culvert or manhole cover or scraping/hitting any of those caused the battery issue and resulting fire as opposed to hitting the tree. It was pretty hard to see much from after photos of how far back the front of the car was shoved back into the frontal battery pack area. I still wonder about the speed of the car when it hit the tree.

 

[SMAlset]

Video and brief news story of Not-a-Tesla that slammed into a stationary firetruck on a Houston highway. No mention if car was on cruise control.

Wild video: Car crashes into fire engine responding to crash in northwest Houston, police say

Video captures the moment a car crashed into a fire truck in northwest Houston Sunday.

www.click2houston.com

 

[DaveG_NJ]

Video and brief news story of Not-a-Tesla that slammed into a stationary firetruck on a Houston highway. No mention if car was on cruise control.

Wild video: Car crashes into fire engine responding to crash in northwest Houston, police say

Video captures the moment a car crashed into a fire truck in northwest Houston Sunday.

www.click2houston.com

I'm sure the NTSB will be all over that. There is a >0% chance that no one was in the driver's seat at the time of the collision.

 

[Dan D.]

Looks like the Model S stuck the right edge of the manhole cover.
It would help to know how much the right side of the manhole sticks up above the ground.

Is there anyone who lives in the area that can report back with this info?

As for the manhole cover I thought I read it protruded up something like 9 inches. ...

Try this video from Rodrigo Solorzano

https://twitter.com/x/status/1388262377649545216

 

[scottf200]

Try this video from Rodrigo Solorzano

 

[Needsdecaf]

As for the manhole cover I thought I read it protruded up something like 9 inches. However that sounds really high unless intentional to prevent someone cutting the grass from not seeing it. In that CNBC photo with the fire hydrant someone posted recently, it does appear to stick up from the ground a good bit. Not sure if I recall the 9” from official report, or news coverage. I tend to believe either hitting the curb, the drainage culvert or manhole cover or scraping/hitting any of those caused the battery issue and resulting fire as opposed to hitting the tree. It was pretty hard to see much from after photos of how far back the front of the car was shoved back into the frontal battery pack area. I still wonder about the speed of the car when it hit the tree.

9" would be entirely believable to me. It seems kind of random. Sometimes they grade up to them, other times they leave them sticking way up. Like look at this guy's front yard. This would drive me nuts:

This one's high but it's well off the road.

Here's one similar that might catch you out if you weren't paying attention!

 

[Needsdecaf]

Try this video from Rodrigo Solorzano

https://twitter.com/x/status/1388262377649545216

Tell me this looks normal. It’s time TSLA sees justice for what they did to these neurologists. These men were simply attempting to remove themselves from an endangering situation. This incident makes no sense. @elonmusk

WTF does this even mean?

Attempting to remove themselves from an endangering situation?

Also, interesting to know where he got that video. And even more interesting, looks like they hit a utility pole, not a tree!

 

[CyberGus]

SURGEON GENERALS WARNING: Exiting the road at high speed may be hazardous to your health

 

[Needsdecaf]

SURGEON GENERALS WARNING: Exiting the road at high speed may be hazardous to your health

Pretty much what it really comes down to, isn't it?

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Try this video from Rodrigo Solorzano

https://twitter.com/x/status/1388262377649545216

While some of the manholes that @Needsdecaf points out look like they could be 9" tall, the one from the above video and still picture don't look to be that tall.

If that's a 30" fire hydrant (starting at the bottom flange), it appears the fire hydrant total height would be ~36". Based on both of those measurements, the height at the center of the manhole (from this view) would be ~4.8". The height at the right side would be ~6.3".

 

[scottf200]

While some of the manholes that @Needsdecaf points out look like they could be 9" tall, the one from the above video and still picture don't look to be that tall.

If that's a 30" fire hydrant (starting at the bottom flange), it appears the fire hydrant total height would be ~36". Based on both of those measurements, the height at the center of the manhole (from this view) would be ~4.8". The height at the right side would be ~6.3".

It does make you wonder if the suspension compressed as it jumped/bounced over the curb. In the worse case, the suspension could be compressed at just the wrong time bringing the battery pack lower and catching on even a 5"-6" manhole cover.

 

[Needsdecaf]

While some of the manholes that @Needsdecaf points out look like they could be 9" tall, the one from the above video and still picture don't look to be that tall.

If that's a 30" fire hydrant (starting at the bottom flange), it appears the fire hydrant total height would be ~36". Based on both of those measurements, the height at the center of the manhole (from this view) would be ~4.8". The height at the right side would be ~6.3".

But what difference does it really make? I hit a solid metal object on the highway here that was low enough to BARELY nick my bumper. I mean, from the front, you could barely tell anything had been hit except for the broken aero shield hanging down.

And yet it impacted the battery pack enough to breach the case and cause a replacement. No fire of course. That was on the highway, flat and level, going 65.

Now this...who knows how fast they were going. And having already vaulted over the curb and the inlet throat (which is pretty dang tall), who knows how the battery impacted that manhole cover. Perhaps the damage had already been done and it skimmed over. Or, perhaps the car was slightly airborne and it came down right on top of it? Or perhaps it was that nasty water valve box just beyond. Who knows.

But Traveling at speed over that curb, inlet, manhole and water valve box is going to ruin your day no matter what. In this case, it ruined both their lives.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

But what difference does it really make? I hit a solid metal object on the highway here that was low enough to BARELY nick my bumper. I mean, from the front, you could barely tell anything had been hit except for the broken aero shield hanging down.

And yet it impacted the battery pack enough to breach the case and cause a replacement. No fire of course. That was on the highway, flat and level, going 65.

Now this...who knows how fast they were going. And having already vaulted over the curb and the inlet throat (which is pretty dang tall), who knows how the battery impacted that manhole cover. Perhaps the damage had already been done and it skimmed over. Or, perhaps the car was slightly airborne and it came down right on top of it? Who knows.

But Traveling at speed over that curb, inlet, and manhole is going to ruin your day no matter what. In this case, it ruined both their lives.

I'm not denying they hit the manhole cover. I'm just saying it's nowhere near 9" as mentioned in many previous posts. Kind of like the "culvert" discussion above. It wasn't a culvert.