A fatal accident in Germany on September 7 claimed the lives of a 43-year-old man and two children, aged nine. The trio was traveling in a Tesla vehicle that crashed into a tree and subsequently caught fire. Police reports indicate that rescuers were unable to open the car’s electronic doors to extract the occupants. This incident comes on the heels of recent concerns raised by U.S. authorities regarding the functionality of Tesla’s door handles.
Another child, also nine years old, managed to escape the burning vehicle and was airlifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. The identities of the victims have not been disclosed. Roman Jedrzejewski, a local entrepreneur, witnessed the accident and attempted to rescue the trapped passengers. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to open the car doors. He recounted his futile attempts to save the victims, expressing his frustration at the inability to open the car doors due to the heat from the fire.
Tesla vehicles are known for their electronic doors that open by pressing a button, a departure from traditional pull handles. However, in the event of a crash, the vehicle’s power can fail, making the doors inoperable. While Tesla cars do have manual door releases inside, they may be challenging for children to access or operate.
In April 2024, the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club, Germany’s automobile association, issued a warning about the potential safety risks associated with retractable door handles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the U.S. recently initiated an investigation into approximately 174,000 Tesla Model Y cars from the 2021 model year. The investigation was triggered by reports of electronic door handles becoming inoperative.
This is not the first time a fatal incident involving Tesla’s door handles has been reported. Last year, a similar incident occurred in downtown Toronto when four friends died in a Tesla crash. They were unable to open their car doors after the vehicle caught fire, leading to their tragic demise.