Tragic Tesla Crash in Toronto Claims Four Lives, Raises Concerns Over Safety Features
Four people died and a fifth critically injured in a terrible incident in Toronto raise questions about the safety aspects of electric vehicles, especially Teslas. Late last week, a five-person Tesla Model S lost control, collided with a railing, and caught fire. Four of the passengers—Jay Sisodiya, Digvijay Patel, Neelraj Gohil, and his sister Ketaba Gohil—died at the scene; a 25-year-old lady survived although she was injured.
The crash's specifics are eerie. The car burned rapidly once the battery caught fire after striking the railing. Toronto Fire Deputy Chief Jim Jessop claims that electric vehicle fires are notoriously tough to put out and call for large volumes of water to quell. "Putting the fire out required a lot of water," Jessop said. The battery cell of the vehicle was disposed of cautiously, dumped in a sand-filled skip and thereafter hauled to a dump once the flames under control.
The way the victims were imprisoned within the car, however, was more concerning than the fire around the incident. According to reports, the electronic doors of the Tesla failed to open, therefore preventing the occupants from fleeing. The electronically driven doors of the car run on electricity. The doors wouldn't open and the passengers were basically imprisoned when the electricity was turned off during the collision. Particularly in view of comparable historical events, this inability to physically unlock or open the doors is under serious examination.
Luckily, a neighbouring Canada Post employee responded fast and valiantly to save 25-year-old passenger. The employee broke through a window to enable her to flee the flaming car. She is lucky to have lived; she was hurried to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The collision has sparked fresh interest on Tesla's design, particularly with relation to the electronic locking and door systems. In past deadly accidents, Tesla's electronic doors have been connected to similar problems whereby passengers unable leave the car in time since the power doors wouldn't work. Critics contend that, as it did in this instance, the lack of a manual override to release the doors in case of an emergency is a serious safety issue with possibly fatal results.
Although Tesla has not yet made public comments on the incident, it is probable that the firm will be under increasing pressure to answer these issues and maybe include a manual unlocking mechanism in next models. Investigators will be examining the specifics of this collision in the meanwhile, and Toronto is still in grief over the four young deaths.
The issue of whether this tragedy could have been prevented with improved design or other safety measures remains unresolved as the inquiry underlines. Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: this event has begged significant issues regarding the safety of electric cars and the function of technology in life-or-death events.
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