A woman is dead after the Tesla she was in slammed into scaffolding in Midtown Manhattan on the morning of Sep. 9. Police said the driver of the vehicle was taken into police custody at a nearby hospital.
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The Tesla Was Out-of Control
As the New York Post reports, the 2024 model year Tesla collided with a mailbox around 2:43 a.m. It then struck the scaffolding outside 315 Madison Ave. before 3 a.m.
The electric vehicle then traveled several blocks along East 42nd Street. According to the New York Police Department, the car finally stopped at the intersection of Second Avenue.
Pictures taken at the scene of the tragic accident show extensive damage to the front of the Tesla. The hood is crumpled, and the windshield is smashed.
The passenger and the driver, both 27-year-old women, were rushed to the hospital. It was there that the passenger was pronounced dead.
The driver of the Tesla is in stable condition. While she is in police custody, police say she has not been charged. Authorities have not released their identities because families have not yet been notified.
Officials have not said what caused the Tesla driver to lose control. The investigation is ongoing.
Kyle Shanahan Was in a Tesla During His Crash in July
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan crashed into an SUV on July 4. He broke his ribs, nose, and hand. He also sustained a concussion. Shanahan said he believed he was using his Tesla Model S's autopilot feature when he dropped his cell phone and went to pick it up.
"Anytime you cause an accident that can be avoided, you feel pretty stupid, especially when you have a chance to hurt someone else," Shanahan said last month. "Who knows what happened when I turned around, whether [autopilot] malfunctioned or whether I knocked it off, I don't know yet."
He added, "Whether you're on autopilot or not, you can't take your eyes off the road. It's a partnership, driving; you don't just turn it over to a computer."
It is unknown whether the driver in this morning's accident was using the autopilot feature.
