The owner of a Jeep Wrangler has discovered the hard way that while the Wrangler is a very capable off-roader, it cannot deal with an icy, snow-covered road without good winter tires and chains.
The following incident was recently captured at Heavenly Resort in South Lake Tahoe, an area that has experienced over 67 inches of snow in the last week. The driver was attempting to ascend Ski Run Blvd to access the Heavenly Resort’s California Lodge but ended up triggering a multi-vehicle collision that could have been easily avoided.
The driver of the Jeep first comes into view at the top of Ski Run Bvld and is initially faced with a small descent and a row of vehicles that have backed up. Almost as soon as the driver hits the slippery road, the vehicle begins to slide and crashes into a snow bank. By that point, they should have stopped and perhaps asked to be safely towed out or waited for the conditions to improve.
Instead, the motorist attempts to reverse out of the snow bank and in the process, the vehicle spins around and begins sliding backward down the hill. The Jeep then slowly hits another snow bank and continues to pirouette as it slides slowly down the hill.
Read: Sinking Jeep Sparks Heroic Effort To Save 83-Year-Old And Dog From Frozen Lake
Video footage shows that the Wrangler then slammed into a white Tesla Model 3, pushing the EV down the hill and into two other vehicles. The Jeep only came to a rest when it got stuck in one of the snow banks.
While it’s unfortunate that the Tesla and the two other vehicles were caught up in the incident, it’s lucky that it was all caught on tape, meaning the Jeep driver will need to have a difficult conversation with his insurer about fixing the damaged cars.