Federal officials are investigating how a Tesla Cybertruck crash killed three people in Northern California last month.
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokesperson confirmed that the agency is aware of the crash and is gathering information from law enforcement and the manufacturer. The NHTSA is the agency in charge of reviewing incidents involving automated driving technology.
The Cybertruck comes with Tesla’s Autopilot driving feature, which includes driver-assistance technology, and the Full Self-Driving system is optional. It is unclear if the driver was using the Autopilot feature at the time of the accident.
The California Highway Patrol, which is the agency leading the crash investigation, has seized the vehicle for their probe.
On Nov. 27 around 3:08 a.m., the Piedmont Police Department got an iPhone alert from a passenger in the Cybertruck about a crash, Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said at a news conference. Dispatchers then got a 911 call about the crash at Hampton Road and King Avenue.
Officers arrived to find the Cybertruck engulfed in flames and another driver pulling one of the passengers out of the car, Bowers said. There were four people inside the Tesla; three were killed and the fourth was hospitalized in stable condition.
The Tesla had “jumped the curb, struck a cement wall, and then wedged in between the wall and a tree,” Bowers added.
“Speed was likely a contributing factor” in the crash, he said.
It’s the second fatal crash involving a Cybertruck in the U.S., with the first occurring in August near Bayton, Texas. In that crash, the Cybertruck driver veered off the road for an unknown reason and hit a concrete culvert, resulting in the vehicle going up in flames.
The 2024 Cybertruck model has garnered 21 complaints to the NHTSA for issues including broken windshield wipers and a stuck accelerator pedal.
Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The deceased in the California crash were identified as 2023 graduates of Piedmont High School who had returned from college for Thanksgiving: Soren Dixon, Jack Nelson and Krysta Tsukahara. The fourth person hasn’t been identified.
Dixon was a sophomore biological sciences major at USC.
“Soren had a boundless enthusiasm for life and was known for his infectious smile, his love of family and friends, his passion for sports, and his deep affection for all animals, especially his dog, Ruby,” according to his family’s statement. “Soren lit up a room, made friends easily, smiled and laughed often, and had a unique ability to make everyone feel welcomed and valued.”
Nelson, a sophomore at the University of Colorado, Boulder, was “an exceptional athlete and loved the outdoors, often spending his free time on adventures from the ocean to the mountains,” according to his family’s statement.
Tsukahara, a sophomore at the Savannah College of Art and Design, was “known for her kind and sensitive heart, love for her family and friends, and for her incredible eye for style and design,” according to her family.
