A Tesla related accident which caused two deaths and three injuries in Raoping county, Chaozhou, South China's Guangdong Province remains under investigation with identification result for the vehicle still yet to be released, domestic news outlet Jimu News reported on Sunday.
The accident occurred when a Tesla driver surnamed Zhan was
parking a Model-Y, which suddenly lost control and travelled at high speed for
two kilometers, hitting two motorcycles and two bicycles and resulting two
deaths and three injuries, per the report, adding that the driver's family is
still awaiting identification results for the vehicle.
As of 9 am in the morning on Sunday, the accident is still
under investigation and the identification results have not been released,
according to the Jimu News report, citing a local police official.
The report further noted that the local traffic police has
been investigating the accident and Zhan's family had reported the situation to
Tesla. The traffic police ruled out the possibility of Zhan driving under the influence
of drugs and alcohol and noted that the vehicle would be tested.
A Weibo user Zhanqiubi, stated as the involved Tesla's owner
Zhan's family member, responded to a Tesla's statement on Sunday with requests
and questions such as asking Tesla to share the background data on a Weibo
post.
Zhanqiubi said in another Weibo post on Saturday that the
driver was pulling over to park in the morning of November 5, but could not
park when pressing down the brake pedal as it was hard and could not stop the
vehicle after pressing the parking button, hoping to find out the truth and let
Tesla recall relevant vehicles as early as possible.
When the car was moving afterwards, it started suddenly
accelerating and could not be stopped by braking, hitting multiple vehicles.
The accident killed the driver of a two-wheeled motorcycle and a high school
student riding a bicycle on the spot, seriously injured the driver of a
three-wheeled motorcycle, and injured a bicyclist and the Tesla driver himself,
while damaged multiple vehicles.
Tesla responded to the vehicle accident on Sunday, saying
that the accident video matches the background data, and that local police are
seeking to restore the accident through identification from a third-party
agency.
Tesla said in a response to Sina that the accident video
showed the car's brake lights did not light up as the vehicle accelerated,
matching background data, adding that the company will actively provide
necessary assistance.
It showed that the vehicle switch was deeply stepped down
for a long time and once maintained 100 percent, while there was no action of
braking at all. The driver briefly pressed and released the parking button four
times and the brake light was quickly turned on and off.
Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation reported on November 7 on
Weibo that a Tesla owner surnamed Jing in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu
Province experienced sudden loss of control while driving his Tesla vehicle on
November 2, which accelerated forward for around 1.8 kilometers and was forcibly
slowed down by touching the edges of roads and bridge.
The police in Nanjing said that it was a single-party
accident. The Tesla center in Nanjing said that the maximum speed reached 150
kilometers per hour during the accident, and the electric switch was stepped on
with no brakes, while Jing stressed that he had been stepping on the brakes and
hoped Tesla to recall the vehicle and relevant departments to investigate the
cause of the accident.