A fatal Tesla Cybertruck incident in Piedmont is being investigated by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration and California Highway Patrol after three Piedmont high school graduates died and another was hospitalized.
The NHTSA said it is working with the California Highway Patrol to determine the cause of the incident, which marks the second fatal accident involving a Tesla Cybertruck bursting into flames.
“NHTSA is in the information gathering stage, and has not opened an investigation at this time,” a statement from the federal automotive safety agency said. “NHTSA… is gathering information from the manufacturer and law enforcement.”
The single-vehicle crash occurred at 3:08 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27 on Hampton Road, when the Cybertruck veered off the road, hit a retaining wall and crashed into a tree before bursting into flames, according to Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers.
The vehicle’s occupants included four recent graduates from Piedmont High School, three of whom – Soren Dixon, Jack Nelson and Krysta Tsukahara – perished in the wreckage. A fourth occupant of the vehicle, who has not been identified, was transported to a hospital and is in stable condition, according to a statement from the city of Piedmont.
On Thursday, the community mourned the loss of its young residents with flowers laid at the foot of the tree where the victims died.
Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said the incident was “unprecedented” and “devastating” to the Piedmont community. While the causes are unclear, Bowers said the vehicle may have been going too fast at the time of the crash, adding there was no indication that a mechanical defect had caused the crash and subsequent fire.
The NHTSA, which is tasked with investigating safety defects in motor vehicles and enforcing safety standards for automakers, and the California Highway Patrol are leading the inquiry into how three Piedmont teenagers died in the Cybertruck. The results of the inquiry will be provided to PPD, which will be responsible for releasing the information to the public.
An initial investigation by Piedmont authorities did not show any signs that the battery was the source of the fire or caused an explosion related to the crash, according to Piedmont Fire Department Chief Brannigan.
The fatal crash in Piedmont adds to the growing list of incidents involving the Tesla Cybertruck, which has garnered widespread scrutiny since its release on Nov. 30, 2023. The automaker has issued six recalls in 2024, and is the subject of numerous investigations by NHTSA. The first recall affected 2.2 million Cybertrucks for small font on warning labels, while more serious recalls have followed since.
In April, Tesla recalled nearly 4,000 vehicles for a faulty accelerator pedal that could become stuck. On Nov. 13, the electric vehicle manufacturer issued its most recent recall for more than 2,400 Cybertrucks regarding a defect that could cause the vehicles to lose driver power, according to NHTSA.
The Piedmont crash marks the most serious incident yet involving the futuristic, metal-paneled pickup truck. The Nov. 27 incident is the second fatal accident involving a Tesla Cybertruck, following an incident in Chambers County, Texas in August where a Cybertruck veered off a road, burst into flames and left its driver dead, according to the Texas media outlet KHOU 11.
The investigation of the Piedmont incident will likely take “at least a couple of months” as authorities review numerous factors related to the crash, according to CHP Golden Gate Division Sergeant Andrew Barclay.
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Source: www.mercurynews.com