Image via Fox 2 Detroit
Last Thursday a Tesla crashed into a semi-truck’s trailer in Detroit, Michigan, sending a driver and passenger of the electric vehicle to hospital with injuries.
The Tesla crashed into the side of the trailer at about 3:20am at Waterman and Fort Street, wedging the vehicle underneath the trailer, and sending the male driver and female passenger to hospital with injuries. The vehicle in the image above appears to be a Tesla Model Y or Model 3.
Now, according to Reuters, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is sending a team to Detroit to investigate the crash.
The NHTSA said on Monday it is “aware of the violent crash that occurred on March 11 in Detroit involving a Tesla and a tractor trailer. We have launched a Special Crash Investigation (SCI) team to investigate the crash.”
Detroit Police are still investigating the crash. The big question remains as to whether Tesla’s Autopilot was enabled or not. Detroit Police Sgt. Nicole Kirkwood could not conclude whether any driver assistance software was being used. “It’s still under investigation,” she told the Associated Press.
Tesla vehicles send data back to the company’s servers while operating and it’s likely the automaker will have details surrounding the crash for investigators.
Reuters says the NHTSA has launched 14 prior SCI team investigations into Tesla crashes that may be linked to the company’s driver assistance system known as Autopilot. The investigations have not resulted in any action against the company.
