Two men died in Texas late Saturday night after a Tesla, which officials said “no one was driving,” crashed into a tree and caught fire.
The 2019 Tesla Model S appeared to be autonomously driven when the fatal crash happened in a subdivision in Spring, near Houston, killing the 59-year-old and 69-year-old inside, according to Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman.
One of the men was found in the car’s front passenger seat, and the other was in its rear passenger seat, Herman told local NBC-affiliate KPRC 2. Deputies added that the vehicle was traveling at high speed and failed to negotiate a turn, running off the road and hitting the tree.
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Two men killed after Tesla that may have been in autonomous driving or self driving mode didn’t adhere to a curve, slammed into a tree then burst into flames in the Woodlands, officials say. Firefighters say they had to call Tesla to figure out how to oust the blaze. @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/nmhDxKeTHT
— Deven Clarke (@KPRC2Deven) April 18, 2021
Herman told the New York Times that the men’s wives reportedly watched them leave in the Tesla minutes before the crash and that they were talking about the vehicle’s Autopilot feature.
Firefighters who responded to the scene reportedly used 32,000 gallons of water to extinguish the flames because the electric vehicle’s batteries reignited repeatedly. Authorities called Tesla to ask the company how to extinguish the battery fire.
The Washington Examiner contacted Tesla for more information about the crash but did not immediately receive a response.
Several hours before the crash, which occurred at 11:25 p.m. on Saturday, a Twitter account called Tesla Owners Online tweeted out numbers touting the safety of Tesla’s autonomous driving feature. Tesla’s account and the account of CEO Elon Musk both tweeted about the safety numbers.
Tesla with Autopilot engaged now approaching 10 times lower chance of accident than average vehicle https://t.co/6lGy52wVhC
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2021
“In the 1st quarter, we registered one accident for every 4.19 million miles driven in which drivers had Autopilot engaged,” the tweet said in an image capturing the company’s Q1 2021 safety report. “By comparison, NHTSA’s most recent data shows that in the United States there is an automobile crash every 484,000 miles.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in March that it was investigating 23 crashes involving Teslas that may or may not have been using the Autopilot feature.
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“NHTSA is aware of the tragic crash involving a Tesla vehicle outside of Houston, Texas,” NHTSA said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “NHTSA has immediately launched a Special Crash Investigation team to investigate the crash.”
“We are actively engaged with local law enforcement and Tesla to learn more about the details of the crash and will take appropriate steps when we have more information,” the statement added.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
