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A Tesla driver and two kids were burned alive after crashing into a tree because rescuers were unable to open the electronic doors, according to police.
The car burst into flames in Germany on Sept. 7, killing a 43-year-old man and two 9-year-old children inside, according to German news outlets — days after US authorities raised concerns about Tesla handles becoming inoperative.
Another child, also 9, managed to get out and was rushed to the hospital by helicopter, police said. The victims were not identified.
Roman Jedrzejewski, who runs a paint shop across from the crash site, said he sprinted over to help but couldn’t save the three people inside.
“I just took the fire extinguisher and ran over. But … It didn’t help,” he told local Ruhr News.
“I wanted to save people,” he said. “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.
“Damn it, I didn’t help. It didn’t work,” he said, wiping away tears.
Teslas have electronic doors that are opened by pressing a button rather than pulling on the handles, which are retractable. However in a crash, the car’s power can fail, rendering the doors useless.
Tesla vehicles do have manual door releases inside, but children may not be able to access or operate the releases even if the vehicle’s driver is aware of them.
Germany’s automobile association, Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC), warned drivers in April 2024 that retractable door handles could be a safety risk.
Just this past week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had opened an investigation into about 174,000 Tesla Model Y cars from the 2021 model year over reports that electronic door handles can become inoperative.
Last year, four friends burned to death when they were unable to open their car doors after their Tesla crashed and caught fire in downtown Toronto, the CBC reported.
