Tesla Model 3 Driver Survives Massive 40-Foot Tumble Down Embankment After Seizure
The electric vehicle struck a highway barrier and landed on its side in a children’s playground around 6:20 a.m. Tuesday.
Tesla is no stranger to turbulent times with production difficulties and its sometimes-erratic leader Elon Musk stirring the pot on Twitter, but one of the biggest ups for the automaker is how safe its cars are. Not only have they received the highest safety ratings in crash tests, they’ve proven themselves in the real world as being able to hold up well against collisions thanks to their incredibly rigid passenger cells. If you were still in doubt, here’s another case where a Tesla Model 3 took a nearly 40-foot tumble down an embankment and its occupant cell remained completely intact.
According to Portland’s Fox affiliate KPTV, the driver reportedly suffered a seizure and, as a result, drove through a barrier on Southwest Macadam Avenue. Only, that barrier was there to prevent people from falling 40 feet down an embankment where a daycare center playground resided. Thankfully, the playground was unoccupied at the time as the crash occurred around 6:20 a.m. according to local police.
Miraculously, despite the big fall, the driver of the Tesla Model 3 came out of the accident alive but was rushed to the hospital due to his underlying medial issue.
"It was like eight to 10 people helping him out. He came out of the car like nothing happened, but he was shaking," Benjamin Lopez, a good Samaritan who works nearby and came to the driver’s aid, told reporters.
As crews removed the Tesla Model 3, a small fire reportedly erupted, possibly from the battery pack being ruptured in some way. The flames were quickly extinguished and, as of now, the official cause of the fire is unconfirmed.
"The thought of it being right where I see kids every day walking and laughing. I'm so grateful this happened before the kids were out here playing because that would've been devastating, and I'm grateful everyone seems to be okay," said LaDonna Robey, who also works nearby and came to the driver’s aid.
H/t: CarThrottle