Morning traffic in Los Angeles turned chaotic after a Tesla burst into flames following a crash, sending two people to the hospital and leaving a neighborhood shaken.
In the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, during an early Monday morning commute yesterday, Feb. 9, a Tesla caught on fire after a collision. Leaving three people hospitalized and the driver of the other truck uninjured. According to reports, the crash happened just after sunrise, at around 7:30 a.m., when traffic was beginning to grow along the highway.
The impact itself did not seem catastrophic at first, according to witnesses. However, within moments, flames began rising from the Tesla’s front side, possibly coming from the car’s battery. This demanded that nearby drivers keep their distance and that people were not able to fully help the victims due to the extremities quickly spreading from the fire.
Local firefighters quickly put out the fire. In order to get the vehicle’s toxic lithium-ion battery under control, the workers were seen in hazmat suits for safety. This battery can release dangerous chemicals and vapor into the air when on fire.
Tesla’s vehicles have been under a lot of investigations regarding the easily flammable vehicle and hard-to-open doors during fires, leaving dozens fatally injured in the past.
These kinds of fires are a lot more dangerous, and officials are still learning how to deal with the effects of these newly processed chemicals after burning.
What was meant to be just another routine drive through the Valley instead became a fiery reminder that, as car technology evolves, so do the risks that come with it.
