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[UPDATED] 2 die in Tesla crash - NHTSA reports driver seat occupied
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The airbag may "hesitate" to deploy if the occupant is unbuckled. Also, during the crash, a non-buckled-up occupant may lift her/his butt off of the chair, on the way to her/his/its sure death, giving the weight sensor an impression the seat is not occupied.
Needsdecaf
Active Member
LOL, no. Have you ever used Tesla Auto wipers? Going full speed (highest mode) when the windshield is merely smeared is not "subjective". It's dumb. Likewise not coming on at all when the windshield is covered in misty rain and I can almost not see is likewise dumb. Nothing subjective there.
Jalopnik also interprets the Tesla conference call to say TACC was engaged.Just read through the Fire Marshall’s report on the accident. There’s a Scribd document of it on Jalopnik’s site at the bottom of their webpage:
Fire Marshal's Report Offers A Few More Clues About That Deadly Tesla Crash
There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the deadly crash of a Tesla Model S near Houston on April 17, including whether Tesla’s driver assistance system, Autopilot, had any role and whether anyone was in the driver’s seat when the crash occurred. A new report from the local fire...jalopnik.com
Rear occupant was found in the left seat, in a pugilistic pose which Google says may be due to fire, take from that what you will. Still could have been a driver moving to the rear to try and open a door. Maybe the front passenger died on impact then, from the position they indicated, seems unlikely that person moved after the crash. Just conjecture. Sad to hear the details.
Needsdecaf
Active Member
Jalopnik is not interpreting. They are quoting CNN, which they link in their article.
Small comment about the fire department contacting Tesla that nightJust read through the Fire Marshall’s report on the accident. There’s a Scribd document of it on Jalopnik’s site at the bottom of their webpage:
Fire Marshal's Report Offers A Few More Clues About That Deadly Tesla Crash
There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the deadly crash of a Tesla Model S near Houston on April 17, including whether Tesla’s driver assistance system, Autopilot, had any role and whether anyone was in the driver’s seat when the crash occurred. A new report from the local fire...
On April 17th, 2021, at approximately 9:50 PM, I, Lieutenant Singleton, learned Woodlands Fire Department was responding to a vehicle fire. I made contact with Woodlands FD Battalion Chief who requested a response. I arrived and met with Woodlands FD and HCCO4 Sgt Wolsley. I examined the fire area and found the scene was not properly marked to indicate the hazards. I instructed Investigator Johnson to mark a safe distance from the vehicle. He provided scene tape to remind responders of the need for respritory protection.
I contacted Safety Officer Zugner. He responded to the scene and made contact with Tesla. He advised me that all personnel within 100 feet should be wearing SCBA. Investigators remained outside of this area. I communicated the hazards to Woodlands FD.
I made contact with Sgt Sterns of Hazmat multiple times. Sgt Sterns also recommended SCBA when working near the vehicle. After discussing the likely need to decontaminate the victims, HazMat responded to the scene.I advised all agencies on scene of the health hazards and recommended PPE. I reminded units on scene multiple times to wear appropriate PPE.
Sorry to quibble, but Jalopnik didn't quote CNN. They just linked to the CNN article.
It's pretty shocking how uniformly wrong the reporting is on this detail regarding TACC usage by seemingly every outlet covering this story. I get that Tesla/Lars deserve some blame for not speaking clearly on the earnings call, but I listened to the same audio and didn't have too much trouble understanding what he was saying.
One thing I haven't heard discussed but I wonder about. IF you are a Model S owner and you end up in the back seat of your car trying to escape a fire and the back doors won't open, what are the chances you'd try to fold down both sides of the rear seat in order to try to crawl out through the trunk? Or if (as stated) the fire consumed the front of the vehicle first, at least try to get back there to escape the fire and give yourself more time? I'd speculate Varner was a pretty smart guy. IF he was conscious, wouldn't he have tried that? Seems like there would have probably been enough time to at least try it and leave evidence that you tried it. Unless you were too injured or just plain didn't think of it?
Mike
Mike
And if you listened actual call both, CNN and Jalopnik are wrong, TACC was on in THE TEST DRIVE!!!
Tesla/Lars can read CNN and Jalopnik as well as anyone. They can clarify the point, and the stories would be updated. One would think they would do just that.
Just read through the Fire Marshall’s report on the accident. There’s a Scribd document of it on Jalopnik’s site at the bottom of their webpage:
Fire Marshal's Report Offers A Few More Clues About That Deadly Tesla Crash
There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the deadly crash of a Tesla Model S near Houston on April 17, including whether Tesla’s driver assistance system, Autopilot, had any role and whether anyone was in the driver’s seat when the crash occurred. A new report from the local fire...
From the Fire Marshall's report:
Jesus. The A- and C-pillars are steel, right? That's one intense fire.
I had previously thought that the first responders must have cut the pillars.
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Aren't all doors supposed to unlock in the event of a crash? Wouldn't the rear doors be unlocked before any power failure from fires? Is it that Model S rear doors can't be opened or can't be unlocked from the inside once the 12V power fails?
Ignoring the emergency release which is rather obscure in an emergency.
We’re MS owners as well and it was something I thought about I would do if in a crash with front doors damaged and rear doors also damaged. Now if you were in the driver’s seat and crawled to the back seat with the front of the car on fire the movement to the 2nd row likely took up important seconds, I’m thinking smoke inside the cabin would be the most immediate survival challenge. I assume windows were up in the closed position and not broken by tree branches. Also possible the driver might have been stunned by the impact before sizing up the crash situation so more lost time trying to evacuate.
Reading these reports is always a tough read. Suppose a learning experience for everyone though. We end up discussing many topics/angles that otherwise might not come to mind for many people. Making cars safer when possible should always be the end goal. Becoming better drivers another one. Feel for the families reading through the reports.
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That's true. If there was a lot of smoke, I'm not sure I'd be able to put the seats down in my own Model 3 if I couldn't see the latches: I don't put them down often enough to know where they are by feel. Another thing that has made me scratch my head from the beginning is that if I'm in the back looking for a way out and can't find one, I'd probably lie down on the floor trying to get low and away from smoke. Either that or I'd probably be frantic to the last second looking for a way out: so you would be unlikely to find my body in a sitting position in the back seat. That has always seemed a bit bizarre to me. That may have been one thing that made the constable think there was no one in the driver's seat: maybe he's seen enough crashes where people were trying to get out of a burning car... and none of them were ever found in a seated position in the seat. It does seem like an odd place to be as your final resting spot if indeed you were struggling to get out the whole time.
Mike
Unless you were overcome by the smoke and collapsed backwards into the seat (as I took the description of the position to read) unable to breathe with the oxygen being consumed in the car.
I would also think being a doctor the owner made the effort to check on his passenger if he was able to do so.
One other thing that came to mind was the position being fully in the rear seat. Didn’t say which side of the car and if he were trying to trick the car like CS might have people believe I would think he would want to sit in the middle to observe and talk to his passenger. I really have a hard time believing this was something he was trying to do.
I would also think being a doctor the owner made the effort to check on his passenger if he was able to do so.
One other thing that came to mind was the position being fully in the rear seat. Didn’t say which side of the car and if he were trying to trick the car like CS might have people believe I would think he would want to sit in the middle to observe and talk to his passenger. I really have a hard time believing this was something he was trying to do.
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CNN lies.
CNBC quotes the lie from CNN
Jalopnik quotes CNN article and amplifies the lie
Useless politician quotes the lie from CNBC.
Now the lie has become the truth.
CNBC quotes the lie from CNN
Jalopnik quotes CNN article and amplifies the lie
Useless politician quotes the lie from CNBC.
Now the lie has become the truth.
mikes_fsd
Banned
If TACC was on, I have to wonder if the Senators in particular understand this is basically like the cruise control they probably have on their ICE vehicles only able to adjust speed to the car in front of them. In which case what do we do about cruise control or adaptive versions on all cars. I think the term autopilot has been ingrained in the minds of the public thanks to MSM to be some rogue car function which in my experience its not and just a better form of cruise control.
Needsdecaf
Active Member
Yup. I posted that earlier in the thread that Tesla had been contacted to discuss hazardous materials.
This is a fascinating thread. I was trying to imagine being in the same situation as the occupants. If I had no idea how to get out of a burning Tesla, what would I do? How much time would I have to figure it out? Seems like the most logical answer to all of this is that the driver and passenger could not figure out how to get out, so driver climbed into the back seat to try there.
It's not straight forward, certainly not something that you will figure out in a situation where you are panicking. It's the same handle, but you have to pull it back further than normal to activate the mechanical release, and then you have to push hard the door while you are doing that. Yes all of us arm chair accident experts who crash their Teslas all the time know how to escape a burning S/X, but i don't think a majority of owners do. It's not part of the car's orientation. (Easier than a Corvette I suppose)
It's not straight forward, certainly not something that you will figure out in a situation where you are panicking. It's the same handle, but you have to pull it back further than normal to activate the mechanical release, and then you have to push hard the door while you are doing that. Yes all of us arm chair accident experts who crash their Teslas all the time know how to escape a burning S/X, but i don't think a majority of owners do. It's not part of the car's orientation. (Easier than a Corvette I suppose)
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