Three recent high school graduates were killed and one was seriously injured when a Tesla Cybertruck traveling at high speed crashed and burst into flames in California.
Shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday, the four friends were driving their futuristic-looking electric car home from an event in Piedmont when the car “jumped a curb and crashed into a cement wall.” , trapped between a wall and a tree,” police said. told KGO News.
Police said someone driving behind the vehicle saw the crashed truck and managed to pull one of the passengers to safety.
Emergency crews, alerted to an automatic alert sent by one of the passengers' iPhones, found the Cybertruck “fully engulfed in flames,” police said, but others were trapped inside. It was announced that the three people could not be saved.
“This is just a tragic loss of life,” Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said.
The chief said speed was a “contributing factor” but the investigation is still looking into whether alcohol or drugs played a role.
But he said there was “no indication” that a mechanical problem was the cause.
Police have not identified the victims, but friends and former teachers told KGO that all four, three men and one woman, were recent graduates of Piedmont High School and played “very popular” soccer teams. He said he was a player.
“They're smart kids, they're good kids,” middle school teacher Sandy Martin said.
“We are just devastated,” said mother Eileen DeSoto, a family friend of the four victims.
The sole survivor underwent surgery for his burns and is “hoping to recover,” a family friend said.
Four people miraculously survived after their Tesla Cybertruck was completely destroyed and torn to shreds in a horrific accident in Mexico earlier this month.
A stainless steel electric SUV that crashed into a statue on a road in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, flipped on its side, throwing an 18-year-old girl from the vehicle and trapping three others in the twisted wreckage until rescue workers cut them out.
Tesla announced numerous recalls for the 2024 Cybertruck model this year. Last month, Elon Musk's company announced it was recalling more than 27,000 trucks due to a lag in rearview camera images that could impair drivers' visibility and increase the risk of crashes.
The company also voluntarily recalled thousands of trucks in April due to a defective accelerator pedal that could lead to fatal accidents, and issued another recall in June due to problems with wipers and exterior trim.
Musk launched a Blade Runner-inspired truck to revamp the company's aging lineup as demand for electric vehicles slows.
