The aftermath of the devastation caused by Storm Dennis in the UK this weekend resulted in a large number of trees being blown over. A number of unfortunate drivers were killed. In a freak accident in the Dorset country side, 2 Model X's were crushed diving towards each other. The occupants of both cars were saved by the automatic braking. Here is an excerpt from the Dorset Evening Echo
" A ‘MIRACLE’ twist of fate saved a family’s life when their car was hit by a huge falling tree as Storm Dennis raged through Dorset.
Driver Laurence Sanderson said he, his wife and three children, and the occupants of a second car coming in the opposite direction, would have ‘undoubtedly’ been killed by a falling 400-year-old oak tree - but in an extraordinary coincidence, both vehicles were self-driving Tesla Model X cars, which have automatic emergency brakes.
The safety feature brought both cars to a sudden halt, therefore preventing them from being crushed by the tree. Instead, the tree crashed down on both cars’ bonnets.
Mr Sanderson described how the feature kicked in just seconds before the tree came crashing down during the incident on Saturday evening, which happened on the A31 near Vines Farm Shop east of the Roundhouse roundabout at Sturminster Marshall.
The A31 was among the routes blocked by falling trees on Saturday as the storm hit Dorset.
[08:16, 17/02/2020] Nigel Stevens: cMr Sanderson said: “My wife’s a bit battered and bruised but apart from that we’re completely unscathed - it’s a miracle.
“We were driving along the A31 and I saw the tree coming down in the blink of an eye. The car slammed the brakes on and the trunk landed on our bonnet.
“Another second and we would undoubtedly be dead.”
Mr Sanderson said the Tesla car - the brainchild of Elon Musk - saved his life “100 per cent”.
He added: “Literally another second and we would’ve been toast. It was huge - the biggest tree I’ve ever seen.
“The other car had four people in it and they were all ok. The odds of both cars being Teslas is extraordinary.”
Maybe some good press for Elon at last!
Storm Dennis: 'Miracle' escape for families thanks to Tesla automatic braking as giant tree crushes two cars
" A ‘MIRACLE’ twist of fate saved a family’s life when their car was hit by a huge falling tree as Storm Dennis raged through Dorset.
Driver Laurence Sanderson said he, his wife and three children, and the occupants of a second car coming in the opposite direction, would have ‘undoubtedly’ been killed by a falling 400-year-old oak tree - but in an extraordinary coincidence, both vehicles were self-driving Tesla Model X cars, which have automatic emergency brakes.
The safety feature brought both cars to a sudden halt, therefore preventing them from being crushed by the tree. Instead, the tree crashed down on both cars’ bonnets.
Mr Sanderson described how the feature kicked in just seconds before the tree came crashing down during the incident on Saturday evening, which happened on the A31 near Vines Farm Shop east of the Roundhouse roundabout at Sturminster Marshall.
The A31 was among the routes blocked by falling trees on Saturday as the storm hit Dorset.
[08:16, 17/02/2020] Nigel Stevens: cMr Sanderson said: “My wife’s a bit battered and bruised but apart from that we’re completely unscathed - it’s a miracle.
“We were driving along the A31 and I saw the tree coming down in the blink of an eye. The car slammed the brakes on and the trunk landed on our bonnet.
“Another second and we would undoubtedly be dead.”
Mr Sanderson said the Tesla car - the brainchild of Elon Musk - saved his life “100 per cent”.
He added: “Literally another second and we would’ve been toast. It was huge - the biggest tree I’ve ever seen.
“The other car had four people in it and they were all ok. The odds of both cars being Teslas is extraordinary.”
Maybe some good press for Elon at last!
Storm Dennis: 'Miracle' escape for families thanks to Tesla automatic braking as giant tree crushes two cars
