A sad cautionary tale of poor judgement

[santana338]

Daniel,

This landscaper sounds like the general contractor I had working on a remodel. I didn't let him in the car though. After hearing this I'm glad I didn't.

Glad you are OK. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

 

[PeterK]

Daniel, I'm very sorry to hear about the car and more importantly your elbow and shoulder. Please take care of yourself. We look forward to seeing you at another NE TMC meetup not too long from now - in your new S.

 

[yobigd20]

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.

the smoke was from the airbags going off. I take it this was your first experience with airbags being deployed. it's not fun. and it's scary. back in `97 I was a passenger in a friend's car when we got t-boned into a telephone pole. I thought the car was on fire. but it's just smokes/dust from the airbags going off and it clears in a few minutes. most of the damage to me was from actually jumping out the passenger side window (was pinned between the car & telephone phone so couldn't open door) and not from the accident itself. so much adrenaline running through me as I thought the car was on fire and I didn't realize that when I jumped out the window I just sliced glass through both the palms of my hands. I didn't even realize it either as I walked into a restaurant on the corner and asked to use their phone and they pointed at my hands as I was dripping blood all over there floor, lol. it never phased me. I refused to go to the hospital and was picking shards of glass out of my hands for days.

 

[DEinspanjer]

So I haven't had any contact with the driver since the accident. I got a few vague facts from a friend. Last I heard he had not needed to go to the hospital and is at home, but I don't know anything about his interaction with the police. When/if I do learn details I likely won't be sharing them here though because it feels a little off to me.

We took most of our personal effects out of the car. There is a little plastic tab in the middle of the trunk door that can be pried off giving access to a little cord which can be used to manually open the trunk.

The front doors won't open with the outside handles (no power). One of the windows was down, and the front doors do open from the inside. I don't think the rear doors would open either way without power, but there is also the issue of damage to both of them. I think I remember reading something about manual release cords on those too but I didn't look. The glove box wouldn't open, and I suspect the only way to get into it would be getting the electronics back on or prying it open.

I think a good safety and convenience enhancement for the car would be to open every latch after an accident severe enough to deploy airbags. Obviously only if the car was at rest.

 

[lolachampcar]

Daniel,

It is refreshing to hear such a story from someone who takes responsibility for their decisions. I am truly sorry this happened but applaud you on your approach.

The soreness is the worst on day two but hopefully it will get better from there.

I've had some interesting experiences with people driving my car (up to 65 test drives now) and have even had to press the park button once and remove the driver when he did not listen. It is the benefit of always being in the passenger seat.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Would it be possible to have an iPhone app or a fob function that would allow you to stop the car if your test driver refuses to comply with your test conditions?

I certainly wouldn't have the presence of mind in this situation to get out my phone, open an app, enter the appropriate password, etc. I'm not sure I'd have the presence of mind to do anything other than shout.

Daniel's story has continued to haunt me, though, so I've been thinking about what an astonishingly cool-headed individual could do. If sitting in the passenger seat, one could:

• Flick the RND/P transmission lever, putting the car into Neutral
• Press in the tip of the RND/P transmission lever, putting the car into Park (not sure how the Model S deals with applying the parking brake at speed)
• On the touchscreen, Touch Controls > E-Brake & Power Off > Power Off

To be clear, I'm not saying that Daniel should have thought to have done any of these; I certainly would not have, in the panic of the moment. Moreover, a determined idiot could simply put the car back into gear or turned it back on, so at best these are a "get your attention" set of actions.

 

[ecarfan]

• On the touchscreen, Touch Controls > E-Brake & Power Off > Power Off

I'm not sure that would work with the car in D and moving. If it did work then that could result in a loss of steering and braking which would be disastrous. So I assume the car has to be in P before it can be powered off.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I'm not sure that would work with the car in D and moving. If it did work then that could result in a loss of steering and braking which would be disastrous. So I assume the car has to be in P before it can be powered off.

I'd most certainly expect it to work. You need to be able to force the car off in an emergency in case of other problems. It's only dangerous if it's too easy to hit accidentally.

 

[ecarfan]

Okay, I give, I'll try it today. I'll put it in drive, go very slowly, and then try to power off the car.

 

[BlueTan85]

Okay, I give, I'll try it today. I'll put it in drive, go very slowly, and then try to power off the car.

Even if such a "feature" worked, I think it would be the wrong solution in an instance like this. If the car suddenly shut off, or, more likely, announced a "pull over, car shutting off" type message, either a) the driver wouldn't see it, or b) wouldn't expect it while they were cognitively overloaded driving the unusual vehicle already wrecklessly and this new message would distract them further and possibly cause an even worse accident. No, I think the best course of action is never let anyone else drive the car... that's been my rule.

 

[mknox]

Nobody drives my car but me, and stories like this only reinforce my resolve in the matter. I'm terribly sorry to hear of your experience and hope that you recover both physically and financially from the experience.

 

[Madartist]

Thanks for sharing your story and best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[andrewket]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. I wish you a speedy recovery and I hope the insurance companies don't give you a hard time.

Hey Tesla- when Daniel orders his replacement model S put him in front of the line.

 

[caddieo]

I got a few vague facts from a friend. Last I heard he had not needed to go to the hospital and is at home, but I don't know anything about his interaction with the police. When/if I do learn details I likely won't be sharing them here though because it feels a little off to me..

First, my sympathies for this misfortune, second my best wishes for a speedy recovery in all aspects, and third, my thanks for sharing this incident in all it's unfortunate details. I agree you should not share any other details with us - but perhaps with your lawyer if it gets to that point. I don't think you should jeopardize any evidence or testimony that might be in your favor. I consider myself fortunate in that I have not received any requests for driving - only for rides which I am more than happy to oblige with. Now, thanks to you, I know what to say/do if I ever get a driving request.

 

[SeminoleFSU]

This story made me angry and nauseous just reading the first paragraph.. OP is much more controlled than I am... I'm not sure I would have been able to control myself after we all crawled from my smoldering $90k total loss. It wouldn't be so bad if it was an honest mistake (lost it on gravel, or you were encouraging him to goose it) but it was the opposite, which makes it really hard not to want to pummel the guy to bits.. for being so inconsiderate with your property, and every one else's lives and property around him

 

[yobigd20]

Nobody drives my car but me, and stories like this only reinforce my resolve in the matter. I'm terribly sorry to hear of your experience and hope that you recover both physically and financially from the experience.

Yeah that's why I also won't use the Tesla valet service for the same reasons.

 

[omarsultan]

I am still floored that anyone would be so reckless with other's lives and other's property. I know I should not judge anyone on a single incident, but what a d-bag! I agree with SeminoleFSU.

 

[yobigd20]

I wonder if this was intentional on his end to wreck the car. Perhaps out of jealously or spite for some reason. Perhaps in his head he's gonna sue you for something. Kinda like how if a robber trips in your house and stabs himself on your kitchen knife he can sue you etc. Make sure you get a top notch lawyer for this one.

 

[bonnie]

So I haven't had any contact with the driver since the accident. I got a few vague facts from a friend. Last I heard he had not needed to go to the hospital and is at home, but I don't know anything about his interaction with the police. When/if I do learn details I likely won't be sharing them here though because it feels a little off to me.

I'm glad you're okay and that no one else was harmed by this idiot. And I hope this doesn't stop you from assuming the best of others (though understandably there will be a period of time where you look at even your own family members with suspicion ). He's going to be in some legal hot water, but the sad fact is that guys like that have been there before.

He sounds more than a little off. Not to overreact, but ask your lawyer to do a quick check for things like past restraining orders and such. Make sure of your safety.

 

[Canuck]

So sorry to hear of your unfortunate event, DEinspanjer. It's too bad there are people in this world like your landscaper. I find what he did unbelievable enough but to not have contacted you yet and apologize profusely shows that he ranks lower than pond scum.

However, I don't think your experience should lead us all to conclude that we shouldn't let others drive our vehicles. So far, I have let three people (aside from family) drive my vehicle, and while many more wanted to only these three made the cut for two reasons: (1) they had an interest and means of actually buying the car and test driving it would further that goal; and (2) I knew that they were responsible people who would not be a "yahoo" while driving it. I also took them for a drive first, and explained things before I let them drive.