(Reuters) – A Tesla driver in California died early on Saturday after crashing into a fire truck on an interstate highway, the fire department said.
U.S. regulators are investigating Tesla vehicles with the Autopilot driver assistance system over a string of crashes with parked emergency vehicles.
Tesla did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment outside of business hours.
The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Department said in a tweet that a passenger in the Tesla was taken to the hospital in critical condition. An official said four firefighters were released with minor injuries after evaluation.
The department said the truck had been blocking lanes of I-680 after a previous accident.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday its investigation, opened in 2021, “into Tesla’s Autopilot and associated vehicle systems remains open and active.” It is reviewing whether Tesla vehicles adequately ensure drivers are paying attention.
The statement followed Tesla announcing a recall of more than 362,000 U.S. vehicles to update its Full Self-Driving Beta software after regulators raised concerns about the driver assistance system did not adequately adhere to traffic safety laws and could cause crashes.
(Reporting by Urvi Dugar and Sneha Bhowmik in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)
