CLINTON, Tenn. (WVLT) – A Tesla on autopilot slammed into a packed dance studio earlier this month, sending bricks, glass and concrete flying through the building.
Previous Coverage: Autopiloting Tesla crashes into Tennessee dance studio, sending 3 to hospital, police say
The owner of Dream Dance Studio said it is a miracle that no one was hurt.
“We heard what it would sound like if a bomb were to go off… this loud crash, explosion sound. People in the hall were screaming,” said Olivia Bartley-Hill, owner of Dream Dance Studio.
Class moved minutes before impact
Bartley-Hill was teaching ballet in the next room when the building shook.
“I opened the door, and this huge cloud of concrete dust filled the air. Glass, bricks, cinder block spread all the way to the opposite wall fifty feet away. It was very scary,” she said.
Minutes before impact, a class that normally uses studio one had been moved into a bigger space to practice recital dances.
“I’m not sure if they had been in here if the students and teacher would have survived all of those bricks and cinder blocks flying through the air,” Bartley-Hill said.
Driver said car accelerated despite braking
According to a Clinton police report, the Tesla Model 3 was on autopilot. The driver told officers she went to brake to turn onto Market Street, but the car kept going and accelerated into the building.
Kay Bartley, a witness and Bartley-Hill’s mother, felt the wall shake and ran toward the car.
“It sounded like an explosion. I thought it was a bomb. When it quieted down I opened the door, saw the car in the studio… shut the door, called nine-one-one and went out to help the people in the car,” Kay Bartley said.
She said the driver told her she thought she was hitting the brake but kept pressing the gas. Witnesses estimate the car was going around 50 mph when it crossed the street. Police said three people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Studio resumes classes day after crash
Duct tape now marks holes in the special Marley dance floor, and fresh boards cover the gap where the wall used to be. Classes resumed the next day.
“We wanted to show our kids the show must go on,” Bartley-Hill said.
The studio is still waiting on insurance and engineers to sign off on full repairs. Clinton police are reviewing the crash report and how autopilot was being used when the Tesla left the parking lot and hit the building.
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