Man and two children burn alive trapped in Tesla after horror crash with rescuers ‘unable to work car’s door handles’
A MAN and two children were burned to death after getting trapped inside a Tesla in a horror crash.
The Tesla is said to have veered off the road and smashed into a tree while attempting to overtake another vehicle in western Germany. The car then burst into flames – killing a 43-year-old man and two children, both aged nine.
Another child managed to get out of the car and was transferred to a hospital in a helicopter, cops said.
Locals near the crash site attempted to rescue the remaining passengers, but they could not open Tesla’s retractable handles, German media outlets report.
Firefighters and emergency responders said they struggled to put out the fire because of the repeated flare-ups.
Local businessman Roman Jedrzejewski said he rushed over to the vehicle with a fire extinguisher to help.
He told local Ruhr News: “I wanted to rescue some people.
“I tried to open the car, but that didn’t work either. It was already so hot from the fire, but the right side of the car was still relatively undamaged. I didn’t help. It didn’t work.”
The crash is still being investigated by North Rhine-Westphalia’s Police department. Police spokesman Bernd Pentrop said: “Tragically, [the Tesla] caught fire there, and three people inside the vehicle were burned to death. Among them were two children and an adult man.”
Teslas have electronic doors that need power to open.
Rather than handles, they have a button which the car’s driver and passengers push to open the door.
But in a crash, the power can fail and leave the doors inoperable using the buttons.
While Tesla cars do have a manual override button, experts fear the feature is not easy to locate in a high-stress situation.
Germany’s automobile association, Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC), warned in April 2024 that retractable door handles could be a safety risk.
The Sun has contacted Tesla for comment.
Last year, four friends died in a burning Tesla after a crash broke its electronic doors.
The car burst into flames after hitting a guardrail in Toronto, Canada.
