Separate investigations into two new fatal incidents involving Tesla vehicles are now underway. Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are reportedly investigating the incidents, which occurred in Florida just recently. One of the crashes involved a Tesla electric vehicle ramming into a semi-trailer and another one involved another Tesla apparently catching on fire with its driver still inside.
The TSB has reportedly already sent a team to investigate the fatal crash that happened in Delray Beach, Florida. The vehicle that was involved in the crash was a 2018 Tesla Model 3, which crashed into the rear of a semi-trailer. The vehicle reportedly rammed the trailer from behind, which resulted in the roof of the vehicle being completely sheared off while it passed underneath the truck. The electric vehicle was reportedly found 500 meters away from the collision site. The driver of the Model 3 was pronounced dead by paramedics who responded to the incident.
According to both the NTSB and the NHTSA, their investigation will be focusing mainly on the role of the car's Autopilot driving assistance technology in the crash and to see if it had contributed to the incident in any way. The ongoing investigation will try to uncover whether the crash was caused by an error made by the Model 3's 50-year-old driver or if the mistake was made by the vehicle's automated driving systems.
Just days apart from the fatal Model 3 crash, another incident involving a 2016 Tesla Model S happened in South Florida. This time, local media reports revealed that the vehicle apparently caught fire, resulting in the death of its 48-year-old driver. The driver was so badly burnt that he was no longer recognizable. Reports also revealed that despite putting out the flames, the vehicle repeatedly caught fire while it was being transported by a towing truck.
If the vehicles are found to be defective in any way, both agencies do have the power to demand a recall of the affected vehicles. Due to the fact that the incidents are still under investigation, it is not yet clear if alleged defects in Tesla's vehicles are to blame. If the defects do posses an unreasonable safety risk, the NHTSA will be the one to issue the recall, while the NTSB will make safety recommendations.
Prior to the recent incidents in Florida, several crashes involving Tesla vehicles have been reported. The NHTSA is currently still investigating a January 2018 crash, which involved a Tesla in Autopilot mode hitting a fire truck in California. Another incident in Utah in May of last year is also under investigation. The incident involved a Tesla vehicle that was also allegedly driving itself in Autopilot mode.
