New fatal crash in Holland

[Kalud]

4k video of the crash (aftermath). Fortunately not much damage to the cabin, still sad the driver died, probably too much deceleration on the body. Looks like most of the front got ripped apart (frunk, front drive unit, wheels & suspension) and probably first two modules of the battery pack. The first two one are stacked at the beginning of the pack. They probably got ripped from the crash and caught fire away from the car.

 

[googlepeakoil]

First RIP the driver.
I read somewhere a tree lined road is pretty - but very unsafe in terms of crashes. If the tree is less than 5inches (12cm) across the car takes out the tree. Anything more and you have in immovable object that extends above roof height (eg windows) making crashed very dangerous with very high g-force impact. Might as well be concrete posts. I remembered that recently when driving along pretty tree lined roads on holiday in France in my ICE car. Much better if you have a field for the car to run off into or spin off - same as Formula 1 - a large gravel run-off is much safer than a wall. And even if the road is clear a blown front tyre could easily send you off the road.

 

[googlepeakoil]

Big trees don't move, and they don't absorb impacts. Not good to hit one at speed. It's like a head on collision, and if you have ever noticed, head on collisions are frequently fatal. The S can absorb some of the impact on it's own, but it's kind of a worse case scenario. You can die just from the rapid deceleration, even if there is no cabin intrusion.

I do wonder if maybe Tesla could build an auto-battery disconnect linked to air bag deployment. That could help reduce electrocution risks and fears when rescuing occupants from a Tesla that has been in a serious collision.

I believe there is something that disconnects incase the airbags trigger. There was a guy who was rebuilding a smashed up Tesla written off by an insurance company and people on here were advising him about replacing these fuses that would have tripped.

 

[Matthew Short]

It was proven by Tesla that autonomous mode was not engaged at the time of the crash.

 

[Phillip L]

Did the battery really fly out of a Tesla Model S during crash in Holland? [UPDATE]

Tesla confirmed autopilot was never used during the driving session, and the impact was at "more than 155 kph", so the wild speculation can end:

It says the IMPACT was at 155 kph. I would think that the driver made no attempt to break at all if the impact was at such high speed. Seems that the theory of a seizure or heart attack or some other condition disabling the driver seems very credible. Is there any evidence that there was any attempt to slow the vehicle, I wonder?

 

[NOLASTL]

I am so sorry that s man lost his life. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
My issue is that just because it is a Tesla, this tragic accident gets worldwide coverage.

 

[BluestarE3]

It was proven by Tesla that autonomous mode was not engaged at the time of the crash.

I think you meant Autopilot rather than autonomous. The latter isn't available yet.

 

[Curt Renz]

Thank you.
Now the speculative nonsense will have to be, "must have gone into an epileptic seizure - jamming the pedal to the floor" and "tesla needs to install health monitors to make the vehicle avoid such things" even before an autopsy is completed.
(sigh)
.

While this may seem impolite, suicide must be considered. Police, insurance and Tesla investigators would undoubtedly be examining that possibility.

 

[Bubslug]

My interpretation of those photos was that someone had thrown a couple of lit warning flares onto the road.

I believe that's incorrect. That area on the road in the daytime photos showed a covered pile, I'm guessing they dumped dirt or sand on it to get the fire out and then put plastic over to prevent battery ash from blowing around.

 

[Tam]

Dutch police closes probe into fatal Tesla crash


"Dutch police closed a probe Friday into a fatal crash involving a Tesla, accepting the US electric car firm's findings that the Model S sedan was not on auto-pilot when it smashed into a tree."

"prosecutors indicate there will be no criminal probe".

 

[Bubslug]

While this may seem impolite, suicide must be considered. Police, insurance and Tesla investigators would undoubtedly be examining that possibility.

That seems improbable unless you believe Tesla owners are less happy than the population at large. If so it would be possibly the third suicide by Tesla as the police hypothesized the Malibu Canyon and Jenner, Hwy 1 accidents could also have been suicides. In the case of the Malibu Canyon incident, suicide was in fact the final official conclusion if I am not mistaken.

 

[Raven]

Do we really need to start a new thread with every wreck, I think not.

In my profession, we regularly discuss wrecks for the sake of learning from them. I didn't post to sensationalize it. I was more interested in learning when AP was introduced and when the old blue was discontinued. The media seems to always imply AP is at fault and I felt that there was a good chance this one didn't even have it installed.

Whether you agree or not, being aware of how accidents happen, even if obvious, are a solid reminder to remain vigilant. Heck, I'm sure hearing about AP "scrapes" has caused those that are less knowledgable about AP limitations to pay more attention, as they should. Would you disagree? Also, often times I'm interested to learn of accidents so I can see just how well this car holds up in accidents in real world situations. I think the car has been stellar.

 

[Ivo-G]

While this may seem impolite, suicide must be considered. Police, insurance and Tesla investigators would undoubtedly be examining that possibility.

It's certainly a possibility. Just last Saturday night a man crashed his car at high speed into a gas station in Gouda, The Netherlands, causing a huge fire that engulfed all the pumps and the station roof. No one was killed in the fire, the driver was extracted by a bystander right after the crash and only had some cuts and bruises. He later admitted to the police that he meant to kill himself.

I however doubt a Tesla owner who knows how safe these cars have proven to be so far would risk trying to commit suicide in one and possibly failing. So I choose to believe he must've had a stroke or something before the accident.

But I also realize we will probably not know what really happened unless either some note is found or an autopsy, if done, reveals a medical cause.

 

[EVie'sDad]

Just a tad bit more objectivity.

Does every fatal Tesla crash merit headlines and investigations?

http://flip.it/TcyAAt

 

[ggnykk]

4k video of the crash (aftermath). Fortunately not much damage to the cabin, still sad the driver died, probably too much deceleration on the body. Looks like most of the front got ripped apart (frunk, front drive unit, wheels & suspension) and probably first two modules of the battery pack. The first two one are stacked at the beginning of the pack. They probably got ripped from the crash and caught fire away from the car.

The video clearly shows that this is a 85D, which means it does have Autopilot hardware. I really hope this accident wasn't caused by Autopilot.

 

[nwdiver]

The video clearly shows that this is a 85D, which means it does have Autopilot hardware. I really hope this accident wasn't caused by Autopilot.

Tesla confirmed that Autopilot was NOT active.

 

[ggnykk]

First RIP the driver.
I read somewhere a tree lined road is pretty - but very unsafe in terms of crashes. If the tree is less than 5inches (12cm) across the car takes out the tree. Anything more and you have in immovable object that extends above roof height (eg windows) making crashed very dangerous with very high g-force impact. Might as well be concrete posts. I remembered that recently when driving along pretty tree lined roads on holiday in France in my ICE car. Much better if you have a field for the car to run off into or spin off - same as Formula 1 - a large gravel run-off is much safer than a wall. And even if the road is clear a blown front tyre could easily send you off the road.

Yup, most cars are not designed for tree crashes. Only some of the new cars built in the last 2 years or so comply with US's IIHS small front overlap crash, which is meant for simulating crashing with trees and poles.

 

[ggnykk]

Tesla confirmed that Autopilot was NOT active.

good to know. thanks