A Tesla Model 3 crashed into a tow truck and burst into flames while engaged in Autopilot this weekend in Russia.
Tesla driver Alexei Tretyakov and his two children escaped from the car before it caught fire on a Moscow highway late Saturday night, according to Reuters. Video below shows the car totally ablaze. Two explosions from the car were reported.
Tretyakov said his leg was broken in the accident. The truck driver’s condition was not reported.
Tretyakov told reporters that his hands had been on the steering wheel when he slammed into the back of the parked tow truck at 62mph. Tesla requires that drivers keep their hands on the wheel while using Autopilot.
Other Tesla crashes have occurred, some fatal, while the vehicles have been engaged in Autopilot. One of the more high profile accidents claimed the life of a retired Navy SEAL Joshua Brown in 2016.
Brown had been traveling on a Florida highway when his car slammed into a tractor-trailer that had crossed his path. A federal investigation revealed that the Model S did not brake or attempt to steer out of the path of the truck.
The National Traffic Safety Board and the National Highway Safety & Traffic Administration concluded that limitations in Tesla’s Autopilot system led to Brown’s crash. Brown was also found at fault for fully relying on Autopilot to do the driving.
