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Walnut Creek: Driver dies after Tesla hits fire truck on I-680

Emergency personnel were responding to prior crash in freeway lanes

The aftermath of the fatal crash on I-680 in Walnut Creek in the early morning of Feb. 18. (Photo courtesy ConFire)

One person is dead in the wake of a crash in which a Tesla hit a fire truck on northbound Interstate 680 near the Treat Boulevard offramp in Walnut Creek early Saturday morning, fire officials said.

Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Truck 1 was blocking lanes of northbound I-680 just south of the Treat Boulevard offramp from a previous accident that occurred around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, the district reported on social media.

The driver of the Tesla was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the fire district, and a passenger was extricated and transported to the hospital. Four firefighters were also transported for evaluation.

"Slow down and move over when approaching emergency vehicles," the district said on social media.

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Walnut Creek: Driver dies after Tesla hits fire truck on I-680

Emergency personnel were responding to prior crash in freeway lanes

by Bay City News Service /

Uploaded: Sat, Feb 18, 2023, 2:37 pm
Updated: Sun, Feb 19, 2023, 4:27 pm

One person is dead in the wake of a crash in which a Tesla hit a fire truck on northbound Interstate 680 near the Treat Boulevard offramp in Walnut Creek early Saturday morning, fire officials said.

Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Truck 1 was blocking lanes of northbound I-680 just south of the Treat Boulevard offramp from a previous accident that occurred around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, the district reported on social media.

The driver of the Tesla was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the fire district, and a passenger was extricated and transported to the hospital. Four firefighters were also transported for evaluation.

"Slow down and move over when approaching emergency vehicles," the district said on social media.

Comments

Parent and Voter
Registered user
Danville
on Feb 20, 2023 at 7:04 am
Parent and Voter, Danville
Registered user
on Feb 20, 2023 at 7:04 am

In the article we know more about the model of the car than we do about the driver. Does a Tesla vehicle create more clicks than a Toyota Camry or a Subaru? It really is irrelevant.
The key lesson is that driving very late a night can be high risk for several reasons.
Just a thought.


The Dude
Registered user
San Ramon
on Mar 8, 2023 at 8:18 pm
The Dude, San Ramon
Registered user
on Mar 8, 2023 at 8:18 pm

Actually, the make of the vehicle is relevant.

The NHTSA said a special crash investigation team is taking a closer look at the crash. But AP News reports that the investigators already suspect the crash took place when the driver of the Tesla was employing an automated driving system. According to AP News, “at least 15 Teslas have crashed into emergency vehicles nationwide while using the system.”


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