Last year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk noted how the company's very own Cybertruck could function as a boat and move along the sea. While this could be the case for the said model, it does not mean that the rest of Tesla's lineup could work well in aquatic environments. This concern was accurately demonstrated through an accident that took place last Tuesday in Pasadena, California.
Tesla Driver Mistakes Accelerator for Brake
According to Futurism, a Tesla driver mistakenly hit the accelerator rather than the brake. As a result, the electric car rampaged through a wall and fell into a backyard swimming pool.
PFD and PPD are on scene 700 blk. west California Blvd. A Tesla driver hit the accelerator instead of the brake, drove through a wall and into a pool. Three occupants in vehicle including a child. Good samaritans jumped into the pool and rescued the occupants. @PasadenaGov pic.twitter.com/euHlfLGfrz
— Pasadena Fire Dept. (@PasadenaFD) January 10, 2023
The white Tesla was then found situated at the pool's bottom. Surrounding the electric car were destroyed tiles and shattered walls.
According to Mirror, onboard the electric car were three passengers, namely a child, the child's mother, and the child's grandmother. Fortunately, these three occupants got rescued by two Good Samaritans from a preschool that was nearby. The two speedily entered the pool to save the passengers.
ABC 7 reports how Pacific Oaks Children's School president Dr. Jack Padutin noted how the passenger child was one of the school's students. The child was being dropped off when the accident took place. The Good Samaritans who assisted the three passengers were teachers from the school.
Officials reported that none of the three had any injuries. Futurism notes how the company's full self-driving and autopilot modes were not enabled or engaged during the accident.
Ups and Downs With Tesla
Futurism reports that Tesla mobiles are quite dense and heavy. This means that there is only a small margin of time when the vehicle falls and gets submerged in water. Pasadena spokesperson Lisa Derderian mentioned to the LA Times that quickly after the crash, the electric car started submerging into the water.
Such an incident could have had an even worse turnout. There have been some notable instances in the past where the Tesla car door handles, which retract electronically in order to boost aerodynamics, did not open even when there was a fire.
Still, the huge and writable vehicles are among the road's safest navigators. They have consistently good scores in tests.
Electric Car Accidents
Other than this pool accident, just last week, CNN reported that a man drove his Tesla through a cliff in California that was 250 feet deep. The passengers were somehow able to survive the situation without any severe injuries. The reason behind the crash, however, was not reported.
Battalion chief Brian Pottenger noted that cliff accidents are not rare, but what was rare about the situation was that there were many survivors. While it was a traumatic situation, the survival of the passengers was a good outcome.
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