WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The US car safety agency said on Monday it was investigating an accident in Detroit on Thursday that involved a Tesla that was stuck under a trailer and left a passenger in critical condition.
The National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Monday it was “aware of the violent crash that occurred on March 11 in Detroit, involving a Tesla and a tractor trailer.” We have launched a special accident investigation team (SCI) to investigate the accident. ”
The crash happened Thursday at 3:20 a.m. when a white Tesla crossed an intersection and hit a trailer, Detroit police said Monday.
Both the driver and the passenger were taken to a local hospital, where the passenger was in critical condition. Police said the accident is still under investigation.
WDIV-TV in Detroit aired a video of a badly damaged Tesla crushed under a trailer and said the injured passenger was a 21-year-old woman.
NHTSA has previously launched around at least 14 SCI teams to investigate Tesla accidents that could be related to the driver’s advanced assistance system, but has not taken any action against the car manufacturer as a result of these probes.
It is unclear whether the autopilot could have been a factor in the Detroit crash.
Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The autopilot has been employed in at least three Tesla vehicles involved in fatal accidents in the US since 2016.
NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board have been investigating other accidents in which a Tesla hit a trailer, including two fatal accidents in Florida.
In a 2019 accident, a Tesla hit a tractor trailer, and the roof was forced as it passed under the trailer and stopped three-tenths of a mile south of the collision. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
In May 2016, a Tesla Model S driver was killed near Williston, Florida, using autopilot, when he crashed into a tractor trailer that also forced the roof of the vehicle.
Tesla advises drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and pay attention while using the autopilot. However, some Tesla drivers say they are able to avoid getting their hands on the steering wheel for long periods of time when using autopilot.
In February 2020, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sharply criticized the Tesla system’s lack of safeguards in a fatal California autopilot crash in 2018 and called on the U.S. regulators’ approach to overseeing the system. “wrong” driver assistance.
The NTSB can only make recommendations, while the NHTSA regulates vehicles in the US.
Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese and Lincoln Feast