A man who died after crashing his Tesla into a tree called emergency services to say he could not open the car’s door due to an electrical fault caused by the crash.
Samuel Tremblett(20 years old) lost his job after the accident that occurred in October last year. Tesla Model Y He died while trapped inside. Bloombergreported. Now his family has filed a lawsuit against the car manufacturer on charges of manslaughter.
According to the complaint, Tremblett was killed near Boston, Massachusetts. Tesla Model Y 2021While driving, he left the road and collided with a tree. He survived the initial crash, but the situation took a turn when his vehicle caught fire.
Tremblett is Tesla It appears that he was unable to get out of the vehicle due to a problem believed to be a defect in the electric door handle system applied to the vehicle’s door. He eventually died from smoke inhalation and heat injuries.
Before his death, Tremblett called emergency services, but they were unable to save him in time. The lawsuit includes a transcript of the phone call the victim made to ask for help.
“It’s on fire. Please help me. I feel like I’m going to die,” Tremblett said, according to the call log. He then pleaded, “I’m trapped in a car accident… I can’t get out, please help me… I can’t breathe… I’m dying. Please help me. I’m dying.”
Police quickly arrived on the scene, but were unable to extinguish the fire or rescue Tremblett from the vehicle in time. The lawsuit also claims that the fire department Model YIt is claimed that it took four hours to completely extinguish the fire that engulfed .
This lawsuit Teslasold vehicles equipped with “defective and excessively dangerous automatic door handles” and “Tesla“had a duty to provide appropriate warnings, instructions and information before placing the vehicle on the market.”
last year BloombergThe report from TeslaIt noted 15 deaths linked to the company’s powered door systems, which was part of a broader investigation into the safety of Tesla doors. Only in the US since 2018 Tesla There have been 140 reports of people being trapped inside vehicles.
BloombergAccording to all Tesla The vehicle is equipped with a low-voltage battery that controls components such as doors and a high-voltage battery that drives the vehicle. If the low-voltage battery is disabled for any reason, the door will not open properly.
Tesla Vehicles are equipped with mechanical release devices to manually open the doors, but many drivers are unaware of their existence or how to use them. Bloombergemphasized. Additionally, fear in life-threatening situations can make it difficult to remember the correct opening procedures.
Such data is attracting attention from authorities as electric and flush-mounted door handles have become very common in modern electric vehicles.
Automakers claim that these design changes are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also help improve the overall aerodynamic performance of the vehicle. Nonetheless, regulators around the world are alarmed by the increasing number of deaths linked to this feature.
For example, China announced that it would ban electric and flush-mounted door handles on all new cars sold in the country from January 1, 2027. According to analysts, similar regulations are likely to spread across Europe and the world in the near future.
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