Tesla Model 3 Explodes After Crash, Injures 3 People

A Tesla Model 3 exploded in Moscow, Russia last night after a crash with a broken-down stopped tow truck. According to reports, the vehicle was reportedly on Autopilot at the time of the accident.

Media reported that the driver, Russian businessman Alexey Tretyakov, and his two children were severely injured and transported to the hospital. The father was reported to have suffered a concussion and a leg fracture, while the children suffered cervical spine and chest injuries.

Passersby captured some videos of the explosion and shared them on social media.

 

 

 

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Авария на МКАД и пожар Car exident and fire on ring road around Moscow (MKAD) 10 августа, 21:00, внутренняя сторона МКАД в районе поселка Мосрентген. Службы вызваны Говорят, Тесла загорелась... #авария #авариянамкад #пожар #пожарнамкад #горитмашина #горитмашинанамкад #мкад #мосрентген #fire #carexident #caronfire #mkad #moscow #moscowmkad #тесла #теслазагорелась #tesla #teslaonfire

A post shared by Gago (@gagorun) on Aug 10, 2019 at 11:14am PDT

Meanwhile, Russian media outlet Zvezda reported that the police believed the Tesla Model 3 to be on Autopilot at the time of the accident. This is not the first report of a Tesla on Autopilot crashing into stopped vehicles.

A 2016 incident in China saw the car hit a street sweeper and cause a fatality. In its quarterly safety reports, Tesla claims that it is safer to drive on Autopilot but that diligence needs to be practiced by the driver.

The firm advises to never take your eyes off the road or hands off the wheel. The automaker also insists that its electric vehicles are much less likely to catch on fire than gas-powered ones.

The question of Autopilot is a tricky one. While it likely does make driving safer it can trick people into letting their guard down by feeling too safe. This is why the firm insists that the driver should be ready to take over control at any time.

At the end of the day, for safety, I would still pick a Tesla on Autopilot over any other car. After all, there are plenty of times were Autopilot saved a car from a crash. What do you think?