Tesla head on collision with a Honda

[tander]

That's what I'm thinking too. Spouting out publicly is probably the worst thing the driver can do at this point.

Why would there be lawsuits against the Tesla driver, was there an indication that the Tesla caused the wreck? This is a sad reminder for people to drive safely. But looking at the photo it seems like the idea of the frunk significantly increasing crash-worthiness is not without merit. I am amazed, the windshield does not even appear to be damaged. Makes me wonder how a similar crash involving two S's would look.

 

[JRP3]

Why would there be lawsuits against the Tesla driver, was there an indication that the Tesla caused the wreck?

It was the vehicle that went into the wrong lane, so yes that is an indication. As of yet we don't know why it went into that lane.

 

[kevincwelch]

Why would there be lawsuits against the Tesla driver, was there an indication that the Tesla caused the wreck? This is a sad reminder for people to drive safely. But looking at the photo it seems like the idea of the frunk significantly increasing crash-worthiness is not without merit. I am amazed, the windshield does not even appear to be damaged. Makes me wonder how a similar crash involving two S's would look.

Oh, it doesn't matter. Civil suits are already primed to go.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Oh, it doesn't matter. Civil suits are already primed to go.

That seems like just a lawyer's blog posting about the accident. It mentions nothing about a civil suit being filed (only has advertisement on the bottom for their site).

They have plenty of other car accident news with the same ad-copy on the bottom:
http://theseegmillerlawfirm.com/blog/category/car-accident/

 

[EarlyAdopter]

Oh, it doesn't matter. Civil suits are already primed to go.

Ha. No lawsuit, just a lawbot that fetches articles on collisions and appends "about this law firm" text.

Car Accident News

 

[kevincwelch]

Right. Just a blog on a personal injury lawyer's website.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Right. Just a blog on a personal injury lawyer's website.

It's common SEO practice in order to draw visitors to your site. Look at the link given for other articles on that blog. It's all posts about car accident news near his area, but none of them say this particular lawyer is representing anyone in the accident. All of the posts are also sourced from other media outlets.

 

[kevincwelch]

It's all posts about car accident news near his area, but none of them say this particular lawyer is representing anyone in the accident. All of the posts are also sourced from other media outlets.

I understand all that. It's not my point.

 

[DriverOne]

What's the white material on the road by the Honda?

 

[Todd Burch]

This is the first I've seen that the Tesla allegedly hit the Mercedes (or the other way around). Hmm. Perhaps tracking down a Mercedes with side body damage and/or getting body work done would be possible. Who knows...maybe the Tesla driver didn't swerve into the oncoming lane, but instead just lost control after the collision with the Mercedes.

 

[JRP3]

I assume oil/antifreeze absorber, or fire extinguisher residue.

 

[jomo25]

This is the first I've seen that the Tesla allegedly hit the Mercedes (or the other way around). Hmm. Perhaps tracking down a Mercedes with side body damage and/or getting body work done would be possible. Who knows...maybe the Tesla driver didn't swerve into the oncoming lane, but instead just lost control after the collision with the Mercedes.

Certainly possible. Again, why would anyone knowingly, willingly veer into clearly visibly oncoming traffic guaranteeing a head-on collision? NOt saying its not possible, but its something no on would do. Something happened, either actual or urgently perceived, to make the MS go there.

 

[Sancann]

Why would there be lawsuits against the Tesla driver, was there an indication that the Tesla caused the wreck? This is a sad reminder for people to drive safely. But looking at the photo it seems like the idea of the frunk significantly increasing crash-worthiness is not without merit. I am amazed, the windshield does not even appear to be damaged. Makes me wonder how a similar crash involving two S's would look.

The Tesla crossed veered into the lane of the Honda. Unfortunately, a jury will probably get to decide the amount of fault if any. But you can be sure there will be a lawsuit. Keep in mind this unfortunate accident happened in California. I wouldn't be surprised if the families hadn't already been contacted by attorneys.

 

[kevincwelch]

This is the first I've seen that the Tesla allegedly hit the Mercedes (or the other way around). Hmm. Perhaps tracking down a Mercedes with side body damage and/or getting body work done would be possible. Who knows...maybe the Tesla driver didn't swerve into the oncoming lane, but instead just lost control after the collision with the Mercedes.

The second comment in this local report seems to suggest that the Tesla was trying to pass. (Of course, no way to verify this information.)

 

[riceuguy]

The second comment in this local report seems to suggest that the Tesla was trying to pass. (Of course, no way to verify this information.)

This was a very early report; the Tesla driver and a witness supposedly have since described the cup throwing incident and/or some sort of "incident" between the Mercedes and the Tesla. The silver lining is definitely that there is no way someone should be able to walk away from a wreck like that...it speaks volumes about the safety engineering of the Model S.

 

[vfx]

... Looks like this could be the first "totaled" Model S. I wonder if Tesla will buy it from the insurance company for further crash analysis of the body, and to see how the battery pack held up under such a violent crash.

Standard practice for automakers. The usually buy of the first 10 to 30 major wrecks to study. We know Tesla bought many early crashed Roadsters and they had very little money back then.

 

[mpt]

Not wanting to cast aspersions, especially considering the terrible fate of the Honda occupants, but, from a purely scientific point of view, assuming a steady amount of traffic coming towards the Tesla/Merc pair, if the Tesla veered into the oncoming traffic, surely it'd have hit the oncoming car, spun that around/stopt it in it's tracks then we'd have others following skid to a halt and/or cause a pile-up.

Is it possible that the Honda was coming down in the center lane either overtaking or not merging? It looks like further up the road, the other side might be two lanes also.

 

[Yggdrasill]

Not wanting to cast aspersions, especially considering the terrible fate of the Honda occupants, but, from a purely scientific point of view, assuming a steady amount of traffic coming towards the Tesla/Merc pair, if the Tesla veered into the oncoming traffic, surely it'd have hit the oncoming car, spun that around/stopt it in it's tracks then we'd have others following skid to a halt and/or cause a pile-up.

Is it possible that the Honda was coming down in the center lane either overtaking or not merging? It looks like further up the road, the other side might be two lanes also.

Judging by the image posted here, that doesn't seem too likely. You can faintly see where the wheels of the Model S went, after the impact, (possibly the front wheels were jammed and could no longer rotate) and they point to the Honda being in it's own lane, or at most sticking slightly out into the middle lane. I assume the traffic wasn't heavy enough for other cars to become involved.

 

[LagunaDallas]

A little more info from the local LB paper this AM:

Media sources are reporting the name of the Tesla driver in Tuesday’s double-fatal crash
The first 9-1-1 caller appearing in the police log at 6:43 Tuesday morning told the dispatcher that a white Mercedes had forced his Tesla into oncoming traffic and that he had crashed into another car.
The police have not released the Tesla driver’s name as they continue to probe the cause and potential criminal charges that are bound to follow.
The white Mercedes was not on the scene when police and fire units arrived. An email was circulated claiming that a witness had told police that he saw the Tesla and Mercedes “racing” just prior to the fatal crash.
Police have confirmed that the Tesla was heading eastbound on Laguna Canyon Road from El Toro Road and did not merge into the single lane that begins where the two lanes end. The Tesla continued on the wrong side of the roadway and hit a Honda Accord (the Tesla weighed a ton more than the Honda) head-on instantly killing Armando Garcia-Gonzales, 39 of Santa Ana and Alberto Casique-Salinas, 47, Anaheim.
Even though the police have not released the Tesla driver’s name, KTLA-TV identified him Tuesday night as Robert M. Pettis, MD, from Laguna Beach. Several other media sources have also reported that Pettis was the driver.
Police have not confirmed that information.
The Tesla driver was transported to hospital with minor injuries according to police.

 

[Jeff Miller]

The silver lining is definitely that there is no way someone should be able to walk away from a wreck like that...it speaks volumes about the safety engineering of the Model S.

This is a very mixed silver lining indeed. A big part of the reason that the S is safer in a crash with a lighter vehicle is simply because it is very heavy - more than twice as heavy as the Honda. But the benefit of extra safety from having a heavy car translates directly into a huge detriment to the passengers of the lighter vehicle - more safety for the heavy vehicle occupants translates into less safety for the occupants of the lighter vehicle. I find this kind of tradeoff very troubling, but especially so as this tragedy may have been caused by reckless driving by the S driver.