Dual Fatality Model S Crash/Fire: Fort Lauderdale, FL May 8, 2018

[kaczmarczyk]

This accident sounds awful to have watched. Reading the article makes it sound like the driver and passenger were trapped and they couldn't be rescued while the car became engulfed in flames. Thoughts and prayers with their family and friends.

 

[jelloslug]

During ww2, fuel tanks on aircraft were designed to be self sealing, even if a bullet passed through. You have to wonder why the tech has not progressed and is not universally used today.....

Cost

 

[jelloslug]

I'm pretty sure a fire extinguisher won't put out these battery fires

You have to use a class D fire extinguisher for a lithium battery fire.

 

[Snowstorm]

You have to use a class D fire extinguisher for a lithium battery fire.

I think you’ll need a super oversized one, much larger than one you would carry in an everyday basis.

 

[GatorGuy]

I'm pretty sure a fire extinguisher won't put out these battery fires

I bought a 2.5lb halon fire extinguisher which obviously won't put out the fire. But atleast have something to give you the option if you need to get to someone trapped.

 

[alcibiades]

When other cars crash, catch fire and people die their vehicle brand is not even named. Two articles from yesterday and the day before.... So much bias:

Troopers: Three Dead After Orangeburg Crash, Fire

2 Killed In Coon Rapids Crash, Fire

"So much bias"?

EV fires are a newer concern and it makes absolutely perfect sense to build awareness and discuss them as noteworthy. Awareness needs to be raised about how they are handled and how they occur. If a Leaf burst into electrical "fire", it would be noted as well that the car was an EV.

"So much bias"? That's "presidential" talk.

 

[Lucky_Man]

I bought a 2.5lb halon fire extinguisher which obviously won't put out the fire. But atleast have something to give you the option if you need to get to someone trapped.

I applaud your willingness to help, but halon will only serve to displace the oxygen - something you might not want to do to a person. Best to talk with a local firefighter for honest advice.

 

[GatorGuy]

I applaud your willingness to help, but halon will only serve to displace the oxygen - something you might not want to do to a person. Best to talk with a local firefighter for honest advice.

I work in the ER so I talked to a couple of fire rescue guys I trust as well as did my own research. If you're using this, someone is trapped in a fire. They're going to die if you don't do something. How much O2 do you get in a fire? Also ANY fire extinguisher will displace oxygen. Ever used a chemical fire extinguisher?

Halon actually is better than your typical chemical fire extinguisher for this. It doesn't have to smother the fire, because it interferes with the actual chemical process of the fire. Halon byproducts are pretty toxic and can produce low concentrations of gas similar to phosphene. But it is a very effective extinguisher and the goal is to give you just enough time to get to someone and get them out.

 

[SSedan]

Fire extinguisher isn't going to do much when you can't get to the source of the fire. By the time interior stuff is lit the fire is big.

I don't know much about this case but seems a tool to smash the back window out or open the hatch without power is what you need to get someone out of one of these with a battery fire.
Of course that takes presence of mind to fold the back seat and climb that way which may be hard immediately after impact, possibly injured etc.

Be interesting to find out just what the crash speed was.

 

[deonb]

Had I had access to a quick car at 18yo I probably wouldn't be here today.
Kids do stupid things especially when showing off to friends. Now yes that is a reason to put them in a sturdy car, but also a reason to limit their access to high performance.

I had a friend growing up who used to say that he hope he can never afford a Ferrari because he knows he'll kill himself if he had a car that fast.

He killed himself in a car accident a few months after he got his license. (Not a Ferrari).

We can't get to antonymous vehicles soon enough.

 

[IngTH]

If a Leaf burst into electrical "fire", it would be noted as well that the car was an EV.

That's right, but a Leaf doesn't burst into battery fire that easily because of safer cell chemistry:

2019 Leaf may get as unsafe as NCA, because NCM811 will be used

 

[Lloyd]

Halon is the preferred fire extinguisher when people are involved also.

 

[FlyinLow]

The safest cars in every category. So much press at the time of the crash, but when details are released the press is nowhere to be found.
Thanks to the folks who realize this and shared links to several other vehicle fires on the same day to show these are isolated incidents that the manufacturer cannot prevent. Just like Ford, Toyota, etc can’t force a person to drive safely or prevent collisions.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Crashes like these are examples why we need to advance to automatous driving.

 

[TaoJones]

Just a reminder - you're not using the fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire. You're using the fire extinguisher to clear/cool a path to a person/persons inside the vehicle that may need assistance getting out (and/or extinguishing *them*). A sharp EDC knife is useful to cut seatbelts.

The larger, the better, but anything is better than nothing. Odds are you'll never use an extinguisher for an EV fire - there aren't enough of them on the roads yet. But it is surprising and somewhat disturbing that there are still so many ICE fires.

 

[MacGreiner]

Meanwhile, not seen in reporting on other fatal accidents on May 8:

Toyota crashes . . .
Ford in Accident . . .

etc.

eg. Search for fatal auto accidents on May 8. Most common words used Vehicle and Car. Not one other brand name used apart from Tesla.
No bias. Bullsh#t!

 

[S100D]

It sad to hear about more death of teens so close to the last accident. These cars are so easy to drive fast but inexperienced drivers just don't know how easy and quickly you can lose control. And of course they don't think about the consequences of such.

If I were going to let my kids drive my Tesla, I would put it in Valet mode because that reduces the top speed to 70 mph. That is still fast enough to kill someone but it would hopefully reduce the impact of hitting a solid object.

I watched the video of the crash scene and there was debris quite a distance from the Model S. The driver must have been driving very fast to cause that much damage. It is such a shame that bad decisions cause parents to lose their children.

 

[K-MTG]

This video suggest that they were burned alive...survived the crash but unfortunately couldn't make it out of the fire:

Was the pack punctured?

 

[Russell]

This video suggest that they were burned alive...survived the crash but unfortunately couldn't make it out of the fire:

Was the pack punctured?

More than just a puncture.

"Police have not released many details but people who live in the area of Harbor Beach say they heard a series of loud crashes just before 7 p.m. and ran out of their homes to find a vehicle fully engulfed in flames."

 

[jimmyjohn]

Autopilot; definitely Autopilot.

Stupid people - doing foolish things - played no role in this crash.

Hug your little kiddies and protect them from the evil Tesla. /s

We - no longer - live with personal responsibility.

The concepts of entrepreneurship and risk-taking, if the advertising-backed media outlets win, will be gone.