Model S Pole Crash.

[Right_Said_Fred]

Some observations:

- Thousands of cars crash every year because drivers are fiddling with the radio/cd player/other buttons. Not limited to touch screens, not limited to the Model S.
- This was the best car she could have been driving under these circumstances. She was clever to buy this one and clever to get in this one (expect for her condition).
- Why some care more about the condition of the car than about the condition of the woman, despite of her dumb decision to get behind the wheel, is beyond me.
- There's a tendency to make hillbilly jokes, but shouldn't we be glad that Tesla is not just selling cars in mundane coastal areas but in rural areas too? This woman may, up until her crash, have been doing more to promote the EV-cause than the owner of the tenth Model S in a San Diego suburb.

 

[twinklejet]

Since she was DUI - I'd say that "fiddling with the radio" is an excuse.

For example: You've been drinking, you can barely walk a straight line, and then you crash. You know you'd go to jail or something if caught then you get asked by the officer why the crash happened. Would you tell them oh nothing much I was just drunk. Obviously not!

 

[brianman]

- Why some care more about the condition of the car than about the condition of the woman, despite of her dumb decision to get behind the wheel, is beyond me.

Not clear where you're getting this from.

 

[zax123]

Further proof the S is a tank -- knocks down a utility pole!

Really can't feel much safer than in my S:

Tesla Model S crashed, causes blackout

 

[Doug_G]

- Why some care more about the condition of the car than about the condition of the woman, despite of her dumb decision to get behind the wheel, is beyond me.

Definitely not true. We're all glad she's okay. People make mistakes; this one was a whopper, but at least no one was hurt.

That said, the woman walked away from the accident, but the car did not. The Model S may have protected her very well, but it's toast. That is sad.

 

[Tommy]

Was she DUI? I am not totally convinced and would not make that assumption or remarks to such based on the article. According to the article, the driver was charged with a DUI because she reportedly refused to a blood alcohol test. That is the consequence of refusing a test and has no medical basis she was DUI. The article also mentions "When Officer Martin asked for the suspects drivers license, she reportedly handed it to a fireman standing next to him". To me that implies some disorientation on her part. Maybe from DUI or not unexpectedly, the severity of the accident left her disorientated. While the article has many details about the accident, there is no mention of EtOH on her breath. The accident happening at 3:00pm is an odd time to be DUI. It is well past the lunch hour where one might have a drink and therefore enough time for the body to metabolize the alcohol. It was her first DUI and seems more based on her refusal of a blood test than medical evidence of DUI.

 

[Seven7]

Was she DUI? I am not totally convinced and would not make that assumption or remarks to such based on the article. According to the article, the driver was charged with a DUI because she reportedly refused to a blood alcohol test. That is the consequence of refusing a test and has no medical basis she was DUI. The article also mentions "When Officer Martin asked for the suspects drivers license, she reportedly handed it to a fireman standing next to him". To me that implies some disorientation on her part. Maybe from DUI or not unexpectedly, the severity of the accident left her disorientated. While the article has many details about the accident, there is no mention of EtOH on her breath. The accident happening at 3:00pm is an odd time to be DUI. It is well past the lunch hour where one might have a drink and therefore enough time for the body to metabolize the alcohol. It was her first DUI and seems more based on her refusal of a blood test than medical evidence of DUI.

I'm glad she wasn't hurt and the car held up great vs a big power pole, but why did she refuse the blood/alcohol test?

 

[Zythryn]

Was she DUI? .... The accident happening at 3:00pm is an odd time to be DUI. It is well past the lunch hour where one might have a drink and therefore enough time for the body to metabolize the alcohol. It was her first DUI and seems more based on her refusal of a blood test than medical evidence of DUI.

My neighbor was killed by a DUI driver at 4 in the afternoon. It may seem odd to you and me, but there are DUI drivers out there any hour of the day.

 

[Grendal]

Was she DUI? I am not totally convinced and would not make that assumption or remarks to such based on the article. According to the article, the driver was charged with a DUI because she reportedly refused to a blood alcohol test. That is the consequence of refusing a test and has no medical basis she was DUI. The article also mentions "When Officer Martin asked for the suspects drivers license, she reportedly handed it to a fireman standing next to him". To me that implies some disorientation on her part. Maybe from DUI or not unexpectedly, the severity of the accident left her disorientated. While the article has many details about the accident, there is no mention of EtOH on her breath. The accident happening at 3:00pm is an odd time to be DUI. It is well past the lunch hour where one might have a drink and therefore enough time for the body to metabolize the alcohol. It was her first DUI and seems more based on her refusal of a blood test than medical evidence of DUI.

It's likely that she was drunk. It's a sad testament of our society but it would not be uncommon or even weird for her to have been drunk. Do we know for certain? Of course not. But it is very very likely.

 

[DuncanWatson]

Almost every drunk refuses sobriety tests. I don't find it exceptional that the driver was a doctor and a drunk. I don't excuse her "mistake" as some posters do. The likelyhood is that she was drunk and impaired. Since she refused the test, in the eye of the public she needs to prove her sobriety now. In the eyes of the court it is different but the court gets more and different information than we do.

She is a DUI offender now, refusing the test in most states makes that automatic.

 

[jpwe10]

Another Crash :'(

Another sad day :crying:. Apparently a P85 crashed into an electric pole causing a power outage. Kind of ironic. Link below.

http://gizmodo.com/a-tesla-model-s-crashed-into-an-electric-pole-and-cause-1152521959

 

[Discoducky]

DUI is being reported.

 

[gaswalla]

there's another thread that has quite a number of posts on this crash already

 

[Doug_G]

My neighbor was killed by a DUI driver at 4 in the afternoon. It may seem odd to you and me, but there are DUI drivers out there any hour of the day.

Yep. People who are alcoholics drink around the clock. A few years ago my wife and I were driving on a highway, and we were getting concerned about the driver behind us. He appeared to be drunk. Well wouldn't you know it, on the way into town there was a RIDE program. I've never seen one running in the afternoon before. I got through the checkpoint... and then paused to see what happened behind me. They got him. It was about 3 pm.

 

[Grendal]

Yep. People who are alcoholics drink around the clock. A few years ago my wife and I were driving on a highway, and we were getting concerned about the driver behind us. He appeared to be drunk. Well wouldn't you know it, on the way into town there was a RIDE program. I've never seen one running in the afternoon before. I got through the checkpoint... and then paused to see what happened behind me. They got him. It was about 3 pm.

That is a great story. It's good to hear about the one that got caught. Sadly, most are not and they can do terrible damage. About five years ago as I was driving home I came across an accident (about 1 minute after it happened) where a drunk driver was driving the wrong direction down the highway. This is an Interstate with a couple hundred feet between the northbound and southbound traffic so it wasn't a simple crossing of the median. The drunk driver plowed headlong into a minivan with an entire family in it killing all but one. Around here, New Mexico, that is sadly all too common. There is no excuse for driving drunk in modern society. There are ample ways to avoid it. This lady is just lucky that she didn't kill someone and she should be grateful that Tesla has built such a safe car that she is alive to learn a lesson from this.

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

About five years ago as I was driving home I came across an accident (about 1 minute after it happened) where a drunk driver was driving the wrong direction down the highway. This is an Interstate with a couple hundred feet between the northbound and southbound traffic so it wasn't a simple crossing of the median. The drunk driver plowed headlong into a minivan with an entire family in it killing all but one.

Wrong-way drunk driver kills family of five - US news - Life | NBC News

Beyond words.

 

[Grendal]

Wrong-way drunk driver kills family of five - US news - Life | NBC News

Beyond words.

That was it. He actually drove for about four miles in the wrong direction nearly hitting four or five other cars before he hit the minivan.

UPDATED: I-25 wrong-way driver had 0.20% alcohol level | ABQJournal Online

Another drunken I-25 wrong-way driver near Santa Fe; this time no one hurt | ABQJournal Online

Here's two more incidents that happened just this year to show it's not that strange here.

There is no excuse for drunk driving.

 

[AC1K]

if she was drunk (which all reports indicate including the medical center she was treated at) i would say its too bad she didnt kill herself.

drunk drivers piss me off, even in my city last year 12 accidents causing death or critical injuries caused by drunk driving.
i remember 1 was an accident with a school bus full of children.

i say, 1st DUI offence, 3 months suspension (BAC over 0.08), 2nd offence, permanent suspension, 3rd, execution because you obviously don't care about life
maybe if capital punishment is on the table they will start caring.

as grendal said, "there is no excuse for drunk driving", even ive nearly been hit by some drunk ******* swerving all over the road.

 

[jerry33]

as grendal said, "there is no excuse for drunk driving", even ive nearly been hit by some drunk ******* swerving all over the road.

When I was 16 or 17, I was rear ended by someone under the influence and pushed into a railroad crossing when the signals were flashing--I had been stopped for maybe 15 seconds. The only reason I am here today is that it was one of those times when the signal was going but no train was coming. The annoying part was that the policeman said the guy was drinking but wasn't drunk enough for him to get a ticket, so he got off scott free.

 

[Right_Said_Fred]

Not clear where you're getting this from.

In reading back I see that I based my remark on one of your comments: "At this point, I'm more concerned about the car than the woman." I think that, as a non-native speaker, I misunderstood the intent or meaning of your post. My apologies.