--- title: "Tesla Smashes Through Wall, Lands in Swimming Pool" description: "A Tesla driver \"hit the accelerator instead of the brake, drove through a wall and into a pool,\" according to a tweet by the Pasadena Fire Department." date: "2023-01-12" modified: "2023-01-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-smashes-wall-lands-swimming-pool" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "california" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Smashes Through Wall, Lands in Swimming Pool ![A Tesla driver "hit the accelerator instead of the brake, drove through a wall and into a pool," according to a tweet by the Pasadena Fire Department.]() *\Image: Pasadena Fire Department\* ## Going for a Dip Tesla CEO Elon Musk [may have promised]() that his company's long-awaited Cybertruck could double as a boat — but that doesn't mean the company's [other vehicles]() fare well in water, as demonstrated by a terrifying incident that occurred on Tuesday morning in Pasadena, California. A Tesla driver "hit the accelerator instead of the brake," causing it to drive "through a wall and into a pool," [according to a tweet]() by the Pasadena Fire Department. An image shared by the fire department indeed shows a white Tesla at the bottom of a pool, surrounded by broken tiles and a shattered retaining wall. Fortunately, three occupants, including a child, were rescued by two good samaritans from a nearby preschool, who promptly jumped in the pool to rescue them. None of the occupants suffered any injuries, according to officials. And notably, neither the company's [controversial Autopilot nor Full Self-Driving modes]() were said to be engaged at the time of the accident. ## Pool Rescue Tesla vehicles are relatively heavy and dense, meaning that there isn't much time in the event of being submerged in water. "Pretty quickly after the vehicle crashed," Lisa Derderian, spokesperson for the city of Pasadena, [told the *LA Times*](), "it started to submerge under water." The incident could've played out much worse. There have been [several]() [instances]() of Tesla door handles — which electronically retract into the body of the vehicle for improved aerodynamics — refusing to open in the event of a fire. Writ large, Tesla vehicles remain some of the safest cars on the roads — [notwithstanding]() some of their driver assistance features — and have [consistently scored well]() in tests. Just last week, for instance, a man [drove his Tesla off of a 250-foot cliff](). Miraculously, the driver as well as his wife and two children survived the plummet without suffering life-threatening injuries. **READ MORE:** [Three people, including a 4-year-old boy, are rescued after Tesla crashes into a pool]() \[*Los Angeles Times*\] **More on Tesla:** *[Self-Driving Tesla Causes Eight-Vehicle Crash, Injures Child]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()