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.
WDRRescuers working near wreckage of the Tesla[/caption]
WDRThe car then burst into flames, killing a 43-year-old man and two children, both aged nine[/caption]
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.
GettyClose-up of flush-mounted, retracting door handle on Tesla automobile (file image)[/caption]
GettyTesla Model 3 on a highway nearby Wiesbaden in Germany (file image)[/caption]
What Tesla says about safety?
Its website boasts: “Each one combines powerful onboard technology with an all-electric design to help protect every driver, passenger and pedestrian on the road.”
Teslas are built with “all-electric architecture” which the company says makes them less likely to roll over in a crash.
The firm – owned by Elon Musk – also claims its active safety features – powered by its “autopilot technology” – can limit the severity of crashes, and even prevent them altogether.
Its safety report reads: “We believe the unique combination of passive safety, active safety, and automated driver assistance is crucial for keeping not just Tesla drivers and passengers safe, but all drivers on the road.
“It’s this notion that grounds every decision we make – from the design of our cars, to the software we introduce, to the features we offer every Tesla owner.
“Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y have achieved among the lowest overall probability of injury of any vehicles ever tested by the U.S. government’s New Car Assessment Program.”