My experience with Tesla Model X safety

[scottf200]

Last year I took at trip by myself out to SD for a Tesla car meetup. This year my youngest son went with me. We had a great trip as we hit SD then went up the western side of MT. We hiked and drove to various stunningly beautiful places while on our way to visit friends and family.

We were on our way home and the first full day of driving on June 6th about 9pm another car hit a deer (flew up?) and subsequently came though our windshield hitting me in the left eye area. Apparently I then drove off the road and hit a tree (son stated). This was northeast WY so I was likely doing 70 or 75 mph.

My son exited the passenger door, opened my drivers door, realized I was in a bad situation which he should not move me, and he opened the driver side Falcon Wing Door. There he retrieved his phone from his backpack, called 911, and lead them to us.

My injuries are from the deer and are to my left eye and socket. These are on-going medical problems we are working through.

My son only had some minor scrapes (no stitches). The rest of my body seems 100% with only some scratches.

To say that I am blessed and thankful that the car protected us is a tremendous understatement. Modern cars are built well but I am certainly happy that Tesla takes safety so seriously.

(The car insurance result is still not determined. I'm not driving yet, but we still have two Volts and I will likely be driving our 2011 one while my son goes back to college this fall).

 

[PeterHG]

Wow--thanks for sharing. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

One issue that occurs to me for the first time reading your post is that your son needed to call 911. As I think about it, I'm surprised that the airbag actuation did not trigger a call in the same way that GM OnStar or BMW Assist would call for help.

Thoughts/knowledge from others on this?

 

[bonnie]

Oh Scott, I'm so sorry. You've obviously raised a level-headed kid, props to you and your wife. And I'm glad that the X protected you from a really bad situation. Thanks for posting here & best for a speedy recovery.

 

[ecarfan]

So glad that your son had no injuries and hope that your eye injuries resolve without any permanent visual loss! I was impressed by the action taken by your young son.

I realize you don't recall what happened after the deer hit your car, but is it correct that your car was not hit by any other cars, and the damage sustained was due to the deer going through your windshield and your car impacting a tree(s) after going off the road?

 

[scottf200]

Wow--thanks for sharing. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
One issue that occurs to me for the first time reading your post is that your son needed to call 911. As I think about it, I'm surprised that the airbag actuation did not trigger a call in the same way that GM OnStar or BMW Assist would call for help.
Thoughts/knowledge from others on this?

You are welcome.

As far as I know Tesla does not claim/sell that aspect of a safety feature. I know some days after that when I finally got my phone back Tesla had called me after the accident. AFAIK they don't call the police automatically. As well my Tesla service folks were notified of all the sensors going off on my vehicle and followed up with me. I think Tesla is letting normal emergency procedures occur when accidents happen but I don't know from being explicitly told this or having read it.

 

[scottf200]

So glad that your son had no injuries and hope that your eye injuries resolve without any permanent visual loss! I was impressed by the action taken by your young son.
I realize you don't recall what happened after the deer hit your car, but is it correct that your car was not hit by any other cars, and the damage sustained was due to the deer going through your windshield and your car impacting a tree(s) after going off the road?

Thank you. I was tremendously proud of him as well.
As far as I know we did not hit another car afterwards.
I was using TeslaFI.com and I just looked where it last showed me. Looks like there were not a lot of trees. My son just looked at the maps with me and he confirmed we were up against the tree and my wife stated that the officer stated that as well.
After seeing the photos my son realized what the two "tunnels" were that he was describing to 911.
43.753654,-104.192645
GeoHack (43.753611; -104.191944)

Below you can see where the fence goes toward the road and it leads to the two water tunnels.

 

[SMSMD]

Sorry to hear about the accident. Get well soon. Such a blessing to have a wonderful family. Kudos to your son. Great job from him doing the right things in such a stressful situation. The impact is unbelievable.

 

[ModelX]

So sorry you are injured! Impressed with the x and your son! Wishing you a speedy recovery!

 

[Az_Rael]

One issue that occurs to me for the first time reading your post is that your son needed to call 911. As I think about it, I'm surprised that the airbag actuation did not trigger a call in the same way that GM OnStar or BMW Assist would call for help.

Thoughts/knowledge from others on this?

Tesla does not offer this service as far as I know. They will call you on your phone, but not in the way you are referring (where if they don't get a response from you, they automatically call emergency services)

 

[travwill]

Wow, thanks for sharing this story. So glad you both were/are ok with minimal injuries. It is always interesting to hear how the Model S/X stand up to accidents. A deer is serious, and through the windshield is completely bizarre almost. The post handling of the car dealing with going offroad, into something and to a stop is where most SUVs would probably have flipped, smashed to hell much worse, etc.

Thanks again.

 

[goneskiian]

Wow indeed! So glad you're still with us Scott! I, too, wish for you a speedy recovery from your injuries.

Another kudos to your son's quick, and level headed reactions.

I guess this answers some questions our European and especially Norther European friends had about how well that windshield would stand up to a large animal hitting it. Not great obviously.

 

[scottf200]

Wow indeed! So glad you're still with us Scott! I, too, wish for you a speedy recovery from your injuries.
Another kudos to your son's quick, and level headed reactions.
I guess this answers some questions our European and especially Norther European friends had about how well that windshield would stand up to a large animal hitting it. Not great obviously.

Thanks for your kind words.

Re: large animal and windshield

In my case, we believe the deer was hit buy an oncoming vehicle and likely was flying in the air so the angle it came in contact with the window may have made a large difference. If I hit it while it's hooves were on the ground then it *may* have went up and over the Model X and just cracked the window vs coming inside.

 

[TJtv]

Wow! I'm surprised to see that "the insurance result is still not determined". That car HAS to be totaled. There are several other threads with MUCH less damage than your car sustained and they end up totaled.

What happened to the driver who originally hit the deer and caused it to fly up in the air? Did he come to your assistance also?

 

[scottf200]

Wow! I'm surprised to see that "the insurance result is still not determined". That car HAS to be totaled. There are several other threads with MUCH less damage than your car sustained and they end up totaled.

I could tell from the insurance companies website that it moved to a 'totaled' status since it was assigned a new adjuster with that as part of their title.
It is still be evaluated and after a long wait for someone to get to the phone my adjuster was no longer available that day. In talking to them they take extra time for such an expensive car as it has to go through some additional approval processes. I did send quite a bit of doc on my options and KBB check offs. Some are not as obvious like the active spoiler that is no longer being sold. Emphasis that it was a signature version, etc. They did get the monroney sticker via Tesla via my VIN. Well see how it works out. My health is first and foremost but I just want a reasonable settlement for the car.

What happened to the driver who originally hit the deer and caused it to fly up in the air? Did he come to your assistance also?

That is a little unclear. They did not help us but my son overheard the ambulance people say they did stop for the other car briefly but I had a priority. I assumed that was good news for them and their health. Hopefully just car damage for them.

 

[BLKMDL3]

I could tell from the insurance companies website that it moved to a 'totaled' status since it was assigned a new adjuster with that as part of their title.
It is still be evaluated and after a long wait for someone to get to the phone my adjuster was no longer available that day. In talking to them they take extra time for such an expensive car as it has to go through some additional approval processes. I did send quite a bit of doc on my options and KBB check offs. Some are not as obvious like the active spoiler that is no longer being sold. Emphasis that it was a signature version, etc. They did get the monroney sticker via Tesla via my VIN. Well see how it works out. My health is first and foremost but I just want a reasonable settlement for the car.

That is a little unclear. They did not help us but my son overheard the ambulance people say they did stop for the other car briefly but I had a priority. I assumed that was good news for them and their health. Hopefully just car damage for them.

Feel better. My accident is nothing compared to yours. Just went to the body shop to see my car all taken apart. You are so lucky. These cars are the best! Have a speedy recovery and hope you never ever have something like this happen again.

 

[JohnSnowNW]

Wow, glad you are both okay. Our long trips are routinely through deer country, and I've always had a fear of this exact scenario. I am sorry this happened to you, but glad it didn't turn out worse.

Best of luck with your recovery.

 

[goneskiian]

Thanks for your kind words.

Re: large animal and windshield

In my case, we believe the deer was hit buy an oncoming vehicle and likely was flying in the air so the angle it came in contact with the window may have made a large difference. If I hit it while it's hooves were on the ground then it *may* have went up and over the Model X and just cracked the window vs coming inside.

Great point.

 

[DarrenK]

Wow. What a story. Glad you are still with us. It is really not that unusual an occurrence as far as I am concerned. One of my best friends from high school was killed when a van traveling in the opposite direction hit a deer, throwing it up in the air and causing it to come down, antlers first into my friends car. He was gored by the antler and did not survive. His foot was pinned to the accelerator, and his brother, who was a passenger, sustained injuries as a result of the crash caused by the pedal being mashed. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[scottf200]

Thankful to get an amount from our Metlife Ins company. It amounted to 20.4% off purchase price after just over 15 months of ownership and 36K miles. Better than I expected!
They then added in IL Sales Tax for that calcd amount, title fee, and plate fee.

My health and eye are by far more important and that is slowing coming along. This is one big relief tho.

 

[BLKMDL3]

Thankful to get an amount from our Metlife Ins company. It amounted to 20.4% off purchase price after just over 15 months of ownership and 36K miles. Better than I expected!
They then added in IL Sales Tax for that calcd amount, title fee, and plate fee.

My health and eye are by far more important and that is slowing coming along. This is one big relief tho.

Glad everything is working out for you. Not the case for me but glad I wasn't hurt. I hope you make a speedy recovery!