Tesla Cybertruck crashes, catches fire, kills three

Police say speed may have been a factor in the crash, but the investigation is ongoing

A Tesla Cybertruck accident occurred in the northern California city of Piedmont, killing three people and seriously injuring one.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning. At 3:08 a.m., one of the passengers’ iPhone automatically sent out a distress signal and pinpointed the coordinates of the accident. The police were first alerted to the accident. Two minutes later, the police arrived at the scene and found that the electric truck had been completely engulfed in flames. Local fire crews responded quickly, arriving at 3:16 a.m., but the damage was already catastrophic.

Read: Elon Musk boasts about Tesla Cybertruck’s prowess after devastating crash

Piedmont Fire Chief Dave Brannigan told reporters that a witness was able to pull the lone survivor from the wrecked Cybertruck before flames engulfed the vehicle. The survivor was taken to hospital and remains in critical condition after undergoing surgery. While the extent of their injuries has not yet been released, their survival is undoubtedly remarkable considering the devastation at the scene.

The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation, but Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Powers suggested speed may have played a central role.

“It’s safe to say that speed was a factor. Now, are there other factors involved? It’s certainly possible, but speed could have been a factor in this collision,” he said, adding that there was currently no indication that Mechanical issues caused the collision.

“We are new to this investigation – the California Highway Patrol, us, the Piedmont Fire Department – so there is no indication that mechanical effects were the primary cause of the collision,” Powers added. “All of this remains under investigation at this time.”

The Cybertruck veered off the road, jumped the curb, hit a concrete wall and became wedged between the wall and a large tree. The impact was so severe that the vehicle soon burst into flames. Although initial speculation was that the cause was Tesla’s lithium-ion battery pack, Brannigan noted that the fire was similar to a “typical car fire” and was quickly extinguished by local firefighters.

Police have not released the names of the victims, but local news outlets include cbs news Bay Area reports that all four residents are Piedmont High School Class of 2023 graduates. The group went home for Thanksgiving and visited family and friends during the holiday.

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