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

[Dan D.]

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.
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!

I just posted the video because I thought it was helpful. Posting the video comes with the Twitter comments that's just how Twitter works.
You'd have to ask the Twitter posters to explain their comments, I don't endorse the comments just shared their video.

 

[ev_go123]

Hey, I just posted the video because I thought it was helpful. You want the video it comes with the Twitter comments that's just how Twitter works. Don't see why someone has to down vote my post for that.

I think it was quite helpful.

It really doesn't seem like that storm drain has any visible marks/gouges on it. The right tire appears to be on the grass/ on top of the storm drain while the left still on the road. My guess is that was enough to clear the drain.

The man hole also doesn't seem to have any obvious marking other than the what looks like a tire mark (can't tell if it's dirt or rubber), but regardless it nothing looks scraped or gouged:

I wonder if the car was breaking/accelerating/coasting off the road here. It's also interesting how straight the marks off the road were, implying not a lot of steering input. That could've been be for a number of reasons, the driver thought that was the safest place to go (between light pole and tree etc), the driver wasn't really in control, and/or there wasn't enough time to react -- that 100ft from storm drain to woods only takes 1 second at 65mph.


Also looks like there was a bit of rubber left even before the car left the road from breaking maybe, or acceleration? Maybe even cornering?

 

[Silicon Desert]

he won't. He thinks he knows everything. That's why I ignore him.

Well I guess SO just has a different opinion and that is fine.

 

[rxlawdude]

Regarding Mr Sharma, you can't fix stupid. Sort of like me for reading all 71 pages of this thread.

Bad Sharma's discovering that karma's a bitch.

 

[SMAlset]

For the right tire to run over the drain culvert that way, the left side of the car would be angled down on the road surface still (and I’m sure the unlevelness was felt inside the cabin). That is until it entered the grass area, and then the left wheel ran over the raised manhole cover. Not having had the car for long (previous owner said the car was trucked to him in January), he may not have been as aware of regen braking or as some new owners have done depressed the accelerator instead of the brake.

For imagination sake, let’s say he was leaving the cul-de-sac and accelerating maybe not even all that rapidly when a neighbor’s dog from the left side started out across the road in front of him heading to the pond area. He goes to brake and lets the car veer to the right (I’m thinking that would be the natural directional inclination to avoid hitting the animal) which starts to take him off the road and across the drainage culvert with the right front tire. Startled he pushes down on what he thinks is the brake pedal (performance model has better brakes too), but instead the accelerator pedal sends the car even faster forward. Car is not on level ground (did car have smart air suspension?). Hitting the raised manhole cover ends up being unavoidable at that point and the car continues to fly forward in a straight path into the trees.

Where the car’s right front tire ran over the curb on the way to the drainage culvert, it looks to me to be maybe 4-6 inches high so probably was a jarring feeling to start off with.

 

[Dan D.]

I wonder if the car was breaking/accelerating/coasting off the road here. It's also interesting how straight the marks off the road were, implying not a lot of steering input. That could've been be for a number of reasons, the driver thought that was the safest place to go (between light pole and tree etc), the driver wasn't really in control, and/or there wasn't enough time to react -- that 100ft from storm drain to woods only takes 1 second at 65mph.


Also looks like there was a bit of rubber left even before the car left the road from breaking maybe, or acceleration? Maybe even cornering?
View attachment 662287

There seems to be a lot of scoring on the road (both left & right, between 0:00 and 0:13), and marks that match the path of the car. Even before it left the road. Could there be any mechanical problem that would cause these?

The grass marks look quite aggressive for something driving over them, it will be interesting to see if they are caused by acceleration or braking.

 

[shrineofchance]

Forgive me if this has already been posted:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1393333553379807240

 

[Barklikeadog]

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

I'm an old school pretty much anything goes 100% anti-woke internet type... But having a laugh at a couple guys, with families, burning to death trapped in a Tesla... Bad form. Not cool.

 

[Dan D.]

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

Looks like Rodrigo Solorzano is a delivery driver based in The Woodlands, Spring, Texas, so he must have been able to access that street to take the video. Perhaps if you contacted him on Twitter he might respond to requests?

 

[Needsdecaf]

I just posted the video because I thought it was helpful. Posting the video comes with the Twitter comments that's just how Twitter works.
You'd have to ask the Twitter posters to explain their comments, I don't endorse the comments just shared their video.

And I was 100% not posting my comment at you, but at the person who tweeted.

I full understand how Twitter works.

 

[CyberGus]

I'm an old school pretty much anything goes 100% anti-woke internet type... But having a laugh at a couple guys, with families, burning to death trapped in a Tesla... Bad form. Not cool.

Very not cool. Which is why I didn't do that.

I was expressing my disdain for the many attempts at redirecting blame to Tesla, or First Responders, or trees, or "culverts" or manhole covers or anything else beyond the poor judgement and bad luck of the driver.

 

[EVNow]

I'm an old school pretty much anything goes 100% anti-woke internet type... But having a laugh at a couple guys, with families, burning to death trapped in a Tesla... Bad form. Not cool.

OTOH, laughing at 500k+ covid deaths or people getting killed by police is totally cool.

Hypocrisy knows no bounds.

ps : NOT directed at you - just making a general observation.

 

[qdeathstar]

OTOH, laughing at 500k+ covid deaths or people getting killed by police is totally cool.

Hypocrisy knows no bounds.

ps : NOT directed at you - just making a general observation.

im making the general observation that you still havnt made that video you promised us....

 

[SMAlset]

Comments to Click2Houston (KPRC2) on May 11 from one of the owner’s best friends.

Friend believes doctor who died in fiery Tesla crash climbed in backseat to try to save his own life

A close friend of a man who died when a Tesla crashed into a tree and burned says he believes Dr. William Varner was trying to save his own life by getting into the back seat of the car.“

www.click2houston.com

Apart from his feeling his friend climbed into the rear seat area to escape, he made this statement:

“There was a neighbor that saw and came over to see what was going on and he said the damage on the front of the car was minor damage,” said Wortham.

If true, brings into question the speed of the car at impact and whether the car’s path over obstacles didn’t result in the battery damage and fire that consumed the car instead of a high speed impact with a tree.

 

[qdeathstar]

Well, if the car was wedged in between two trees it wouldn’t have a lot of front end damage anyway. It would have side damage....

 

[rxlawdude]

But there will never be as much coverage to correct the initial reports that have been used as FUD-feed.

 

[Barklikeadog]

But there will never be as much coverage to correct the initial reports that have been used as FUD-feed.

Instead of blaming autopilot, they could have blamed the fiery sedan death trap, right? You think this would have been spun another way??

 

[alexgr]

... and now we learn the driver was drunk...

Victim of Tesla crash in Texas had alcohol level exceeding legal limit

One of the two victims of a fatal crash involving a Tesla car in Texas had a blood-alcohol level that exceeded the legal driving limit, according to an autopsy report.

www.reuters.com

Shame on news reporters.

 

[gangzoom]

... and now we learn the driver was drunk...

Victim of Tesla crash in Texas had alcohol level exceeding legal limit

One of the two victims of a fatal crash involving a Tesla car in Texas had a blood-alcohol level that exceeded the legal driving limit, according to an autopsy report.

www.reuters.com

Shame on news reporters.

Am not sure any Federal governance group would waste time investigating a car crash involving a drunk driver in a recently acquired performance car?

The anti Tesla stance in government lobby seems pretty well entrenched.

 

[stopcrazypp]

... and now we learn the driver was drunk...

Victim of Tesla crash in Texas had alcohol level exceeding legal limit

One of the two victims of a fatal crash involving a Tesla car in Texas had a blood-alcohol level that exceeded the legal driving limit, according to an autopsy report.

www.reuters.com

Shame on news reporters.

To be fair, it's not proven he's the driver, but trying to avoid a DUI would give a fairly strong incentive to move out of the driver's seat.