Four friends burn to death trapped in Tesla ‘after car’s electric doors failed to open in horror crash’
FOUR friends died in a burning Tesla after a crash broke its electronic doors, it is claimed.
The car burst into flames after hitting a guard rail in Toronto, Canada.
Only one woman in her 20s survived the fiery crash on October 24 after a brave worker smashed a window with a metal pole.
Ketaba Gohil, 29, her brother Neelraj, 25, Jay Sisodiya and Digvijay Patel were all killed.
Canada Post employee Rick Harper told how he frantically tried to free a woman who was desperately trying to escape the blazing Model Y car.
He told the Toronto Star: “You couldn’t open the doors.
“I would assume the young lady would have tried to open the door from the inside, because she was pretty desperate to get out.
“I don’t know if that was the battery or what. But she couldn’t get out.”
Harper said as soon as he bashed the rear window in the panicked woman threw herself out of the car head first.
He said the smoke was so thick he didn’t realise other people were trapped inside.
Police said the car crashed into a guard rail on Lake Shore Boulevard at high-speed.
The cause of the crash is being investigated.
Teslas have electronic doors that need power to open.
Rather than handles, they have a button which the car’s driver and passengers push to open the door.
But in a crash, the power can fail and leave the doors inoperable using the buttons, Calgary Fire Department captain Randy Schmitz said.
The model of Tesla involved – Model Y – does have a manual override button.
Experts fear, however, the feature is not easy to locate in a high-stress situation.
Nine probes involving the Model Y are ongoing including “unexpected brake activation” and “sudden unintended acceleration”, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Sun has contacted Tesla for comment.
What Tesla says about safety?
Its website boasts: “Each one combines powerful onboard technology with an all-electric design to help protect every driver, passenger and pedestrian on the road.”
Teslas are built with “all-electric architecture” which the company says makes them less likely to roll over in a crash.
The firm – owned by Elon Musk – also claims its active safety features – powered by its “autopilot technology” – can limit the severity of crashes, and even prevent them altogether.
Its safety report reads: “We believe the unique combination of passive safety, active safety, and automated driver assistance is crucial for keeping not just Tesla drivers and passengers safe, but all drivers on the road.
“It’s this notion that grounds every decision we make – from the design of our cars, to the software we introduce, to the features we offer every Tesla owner.
“Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y have achieved among the lowest overall probability of injury of any vehicles ever tested by the U.S. government’s New Car Assessment Program.”