The driver admitted looking at his cellphone in the seconds before the fatal collision near Seattle
22 seconds ago
- A Tesla Model S struck and killed a motorcyclist near Seattle last week.
- The driver of the 2022 sedan claimed Autopilot was engaged at the time of the accident and he was looking at his phone.
- The police have charged the driver with negligent homicide.
A Tesla driver who collided with a motorcycle last week, killing its driver, told police at the scene that the car’s autonomous Autopilot system was activated.
The 2022 Model S collided with the motorcycle in Maltby, northeast of Seattle, knocking out the driver – later named Jeffrey Nissen, 28, of Stanwood, Washington. Emergency services pronounced Stanwood dead at the scene.
Related: Tesla settles Autopilot crash lawsuit a day before trial
Authorities did not release the name of the Tesla driver, but did release the name of the 56-year-old FOX 13 Seattle The man, identified as Carl Hunter, told a Washington State Patrol trooper that the electric vehicle’s autonomous autopilot software was activated at the time of the crash.
The driver, who has since been charged with vehicular manslaughter, admitted looking at his cell phone in the moments before the crash and told first responders that his electric vehicle was “thrown forward as it accelerated and with the motorcycle.” collided in front of him”. by him.”
Accident investigators claim the motorcyclist was thrown from his motorcycle upon initial impact and then run over by the electric vehicle. Fox business Reports. When the rescue workers arrived, he was still lying under the car.
Tesla has not yet publicly confirmed whether Autopilot was actually engaged prior to the accident based on its own records, but even if it were, that would not be a valid excuse for the driver. According to Tesla, regardless of whether an autonomous system is activated, it is the driver’s responsibility to pay attention to the road at all times and be ready to regain control if necessary.
By saying he was looking at his phone, the driver of the Model S was essentially admitting he wasn’t paying attention. He also reportedly consumed a single alcoholic drink but failed field sobriety and blood tests.
Tesla recently announced a massive recall related to Autopilot after regulators decided it was too easy for drivers to ignore warnings telling them to resume control. The automaker introduced over-air updates that made it clearer to drivers when they should access them and also when the system was disabled.
The company also recently settled a lawsuit filed by the family of a driver who was driving while Autopilot was engaged in his model. Currently, the company is offering Model 3, XY and S owners a 30-day free trial of its more advanced Full Self-Driving system. Systems and has reduced the purchase price of the option to $8,000.
