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Tesla Fiery Death Blamed on Door Handles
The retracting door handles on a Tesla Model S have been blamed for preventing a Florida police officer from saving a driver inside a burning car.
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The retracting door handles on a Tesla Model S have been blamed for preventing a Florida police officer from saving a driver inside a burning car.
A wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla says the car’s handles, which pop out when the driver approaches with a key fob, remained closed after the driver lost control and crashed into a tree in February, Bloomberg News reports.
The crash caused a fire to break out and kill Dr. Omar Awan, a 48-year-old anesthesiologist. A responding police officer says he was unable to open the door and pull Dr. Awan out of the vehicle.
A Wired article last December says Telsa CEO Elon Musk insisted on the high-tech feature, which required “incredibly complicated” engineering. Consumer Reports says malfunctioning door handles are a frequent complaint among Tesla owners.
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