A Tesla Model 3 owner is lucky to be alive following a crash and explosion over the weekend.
The incident occurred in Moscow on Saturday when Alexei Tretyakov was driving on the highway, reportedly with autopilot engaged. Unfortunately, Tretyakov didn’t see a tow truck parked on the side of the road and neither did the autopilot semi-autonomous driving system.
As a result, the Model 3 rammed into the tow truck at approximately 62 mph (100 km/h). Following the crash, the car burst into flames and this was caught by an Instagram user. As you can see in the clip, the car is fully engulfed and there were at least two small explosions.
Also Read: Tesla Hit With Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Fatal Model 3 Autopilot Crash
While everyone was able to escape, Reuters says Tretyakov’s leg was broken in the crash. His two children were also in the car, but thankfully they only suffered bruises. That’s pretty remarkable, but it seems like the trio was able to get out of the car before it erupted into an inferno.
The incident remains under investigation, but it comes at a bad time for Tesla as the company was recently hit with a wrongful death lawsuit. That case revolves around a car that had its roof sheared off when it hit a tractor-trailer with Autopilot engaged.
50-year-old Jeremy Banner was killed in the crash and the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report found Autopilot had been turned on approximately 10 seconds before the crash.
Of course, the news also comes hot on the heels of a report which found the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sent Tesla a cease-and-desist letter for making “inappropriate” claims about the safety of the Model 3.
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