Recent Tesla Deadly Crash Now Being Investigated By NHTSA's Special Unit

A deadly crash that happened last Sunday involving a Tesla Model S is now the subject of an inquiry conducted by the special crash investigation unit of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Late Tuesday, NHTSA announced that it is deploying its special unit to look into the incident. A couple of people died in the crash, and two others were injured when a Tesla Model S vehicle allegedly ran a red light and collided with a Honda Civic, which happened in the suburb of Gardena in Los Angeles, reports NBC News.

When asked about the incident, the spokesman for the NHTSA refused to say whether the Tesla Autopilot driver-assist function has a role in the incident, reports Bloomberg. The special unit of the NHTSA has conducted a dozen crashes involving Tesla vehicles that were presumed to involve the electric vehicle’s autopilot capability, reports the Associated Press. But what really happened?

A speeding driver of a 2016 Tesla Model S after leaving the 91 Freeway in Gardena, southwest of Los Angeles, allegedly ran a red light and crashed into a 2006 Honda Civic. The incident killed the driver and the passenger in the Honda last Sunday, reports KTLA citing the Los Angeles Police Department as its source. A spokesman for Tesla and the LAPD also investigating about the incident could not be reached.

The police responded to the crash at Artesia Boulevard and Vermont Avenue around 12: 45 AM, Capt. Jon Pinto of the Los Angeles Police Department told KTLA. The driver of the Tesla Model S exited the westbound 91 Freeway at Artesia Boulevard at ‘high speed’ and failed to stop at the red light, the LAPD reported. The Tesla vehicle collided with a Honda, which is at the intersection at that time turning left onto the Artesia Boulevard.

The incident killed the 40 years old driver of the Honda Civic and his 39 years old female passenger. Both were pronounced dead at the scene according to KTLA. The occupants of the Tesla Model S were rushed to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, adds the report.