After typical Tesla time with my landscaper who came over to plan out some work, I offered a quick test drive around the block. I asked my typical two questions, nothing to drink and a valid driver's license with no restrictions.
I sat behind the driver and his coworker was in the passenger seat. We pulled out and the seatbelt chime started. I told him it wouldn't stop until he buckled, but he said it was fine. He goosed the accelerator to get up to speed. From there things went weird and scary though. He asked about traction control and suggested turning it off, but I declined. He gunned it again which left us going too fast on a residential road. I asked him to slow down and he did, a bit, but then he said he wanted to see how it handled on the curves and gunned it again.
He raced around the first curve and both the passenger and I were asking him to slow down and stop but he gunned it through a second curve and lost control.
We slid sideways and went off the road into a wooded ditch on the left side of the road passenger side first. The passenger rear door struck a tree and the car spun then struck another tree on the rear driver side door. Finally it hit one more tree in the front and stopped.
All the curtain and side air bags had opened. None of the front ones did. I had blanked out a bit for a few seconds, but when I came to, I saw the driver lying across the passenger with his head between the windshield and dashboard. He got up and started climbing out. The passenger unbuckled and got out on his side as well.
I had the wind knocked out of me and it took a little while for me to catch it. I managed to unbuckle but my right arm hurt and had no strength. I laid down on the rear seat for a few seconds, but there was acrid smoke in the cabin so I did not want to stay. I wasn't able to open either rear door so I had to crawl over the front seats and out the passenger door.
I walked out of the woods and up to the road where a crowd had gathered with a couple of people talking to 911.
There was no fire, the smoke I saw and smelled cleared up. Not sure if it was an electrical short or maybe just from the explosion of the air bags.
Tesla called me about one or two minutes after the wreck to check in and see if there was anything they could do to assist.
The EMTs checked me out and determined my arm did not have a compound fracture or severe break, but something was clearly wrong with both my shoulder and elbow. I think I might have reached out with my right arm to brace against the driver seat before impact which caused me to jam it. I declined an ambulance trip and had my wife drive me to our preferred hospital. I was diagnosed with a fractured elbow and shoulder and have to see an orthopedist on Tuesday.
The other two occupants did not have to go to the hospital although the driver had shattered the windshield in two places so I suspect he had to have a concussion at the least.
It took the tow company two trucks and a couple of hours to extract the car. There was damage on every side and the axles were both bent, so the car is likely totaled.
All things considered, I am shocked and horrified, but very thankful that no one else was injured and I believe the safety features of the car prevented more serious injuries.
I had previously let several friends and acquaintances drive the car and it was always a fun and safe time. Obviously after this, I don't think I would ever be comfortable having someone else drive again. I clearly made a mistake in my judgment and I am paying for that in many ways, so I thought I would share the details to prevent the possibility of it happening to someone else who has been willing to give test drives.
I sat behind the driver and his coworker was in the passenger seat. We pulled out and the seatbelt chime started. I told him it wouldn't stop until he buckled, but he said it was fine. He goosed the accelerator to get up to speed. From there things went weird and scary though. He asked about traction control and suggested turning it off, but I declined. He gunned it again which left us going too fast on a residential road. I asked him to slow down and he did, a bit, but then he said he wanted to see how it handled on the curves and gunned it again.
He raced around the first curve and both the passenger and I were asking him to slow down and stop but he gunned it through a second curve and lost control.
We slid sideways and went off the road into a wooded ditch on the left side of the road passenger side first. The passenger rear door struck a tree and the car spun then struck another tree on the rear driver side door. Finally it hit one more tree in the front and stopped.
All the curtain and side air bags had opened. None of the front ones did. I had blanked out a bit for a few seconds, but when I came to, I saw the driver lying across the passenger with his head between the windshield and dashboard. He got up and started climbing out. The passenger unbuckled and got out on his side as well.
I had the wind knocked out of me and it took a little while for me to catch it. I managed to unbuckle but my right arm hurt and had no strength. I laid down on the rear seat for a few seconds, but there was acrid smoke in the cabin so I did not want to stay. I wasn't able to open either rear door so I had to crawl over the front seats and out the passenger door.
I walked out of the woods and up to the road where a crowd had gathered with a couple of people talking to 911.
There was no fire, the smoke I saw and smelled cleared up. Not sure if it was an electrical short or maybe just from the explosion of the air bags.
Tesla called me about one or two minutes after the wreck to check in and see if there was anything they could do to assist.
The EMTs checked me out and determined my arm did not have a compound fracture or severe break, but something was clearly wrong with both my shoulder and elbow. I think I might have reached out with my right arm to brace against the driver seat before impact which caused me to jam it. I declined an ambulance trip and had my wife drive me to our preferred hospital. I was diagnosed with a fractured elbow and shoulder and have to see an orthopedist on Tuesday.
The other two occupants did not have to go to the hospital although the driver had shattered the windshield in two places so I suspect he had to have a concussion at the least.
It took the tow company two trucks and a couple of hours to extract the car. There was damage on every side and the axles were both bent, so the car is likely totaled.
All things considered, I am shocked and horrified, but very thankful that no one else was injured and I believe the safety features of the car prevented more serious injuries.
I had previously let several friends and acquaintances drive the car and it was always a fun and safe time. Obviously after this, I don't think I would ever be comfortable having someone else drive again. I clearly made a mistake in my judgment and I am paying for that in many ways, so I thought I would share the details to prevent the possibility of it happening to someone else who has been willing to give test drives.
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