--- title: "Tesla Driver Killed When Car Plows Into Parked Firetruck" description: "A Tesla driver was left dead and several other people were injured after the electronic vehicle rammed into a parked firetruck." date: "2023-02-21" modified: "2023-02-21" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-driver-killed-firetruck" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "car crash" - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Driver Killed When Car Plows Into Parked Firetruck ![A Tesla driver was left dead and several other people were injured after the electronic vehicle rammed into a parked firetruck.]() *\Image: Spencer Platt via Getty / Futurism\* ## Hit the Brakes A Tesla driver was left dead and several other people were injured after the electric vehicle rammed into a parked firetruck that had, ironically, been responding to a previous crash. As the [*San Francisco Chronicle* reports](), the Model S crash — in which the car failed, for some reason, to slow down enough before hitting the emergency vehicle — occurred just before 4 am on a freeway in Contra Costa County, California, and the firetruck had been parked after responding to an accident that occurred just a half hour prior. It's unclear why the car didn't slow down before hitting the large parked fire engine, and as [*Reuters* has subsequently reported](), the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking more information from Tesla regarding the accident. Reading between the lines, it seems that regulators are looking into whether the company's controversial driver assistance technology, marketed as Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, could have caused or contributed to the crash. ## Autopilot Inquiry The driver was pronounced dead on arrival and the Tesla's passenger was taken to the hospital to assess their reportedly "major" injuries. Four firefighters inside the firetruck were also taken to the hospital as a precaution, the *SF Chronicle* notes, after being impacted. The NHTSA has good reason for their inquiry, given that the company's [automated driving features]() keep being [associated with fatal car crashes]() — in fact, it's [already investigating]() whether the company's Autopilot feature keeps crashing into parked emergency vehicles, such as with this latest collision. With all those [reports of injuries and death]() associated with the company's self-driving features becoming commonplace, it's a valid line of investigation. We don't know whether Autopilot or Full Self-Driving were involved in this latest fatality — but it'll be fascinating to find out. **More on Tesla:** [*Tesla Rolling Back Full Self-Driving Version That "May Cause Crashes"*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()