unilad homepage
unilad homepage
    • News
      • UK News
      • US News
      • World News
      • Crime
      • Health
      • Money
      • Sport
      • Travel
    • Music
    • Technology
    • Film and TV
      • News
      • DC Comics
      • Disney
      • Marvel
      • Netflix
    • Celebrity
    • Politics
    • Advertise
    • Terms
    • Privacy & Cookies
    • LADbible Group
    • LADbible
    • SPORTbible
    • GAMINGbible
    • Tyla
    • UNILAD Tech
    • FOODbible
    • License Our Content
    • About Us & Contact
    • Jobs
    • Latest
    • Archive
    • Topics A-Z
    • Authors
    Facebook
    Instagram
    X
    Threads
    TikTok
    YouTube
    Submit Your Content
    Friends burned to death in Tesla crash after ‘its electronic doors failed’

    Home> News> World News> Canada

    Published 11:48 12 Nov 2024 GMT

    Friends burned to death in Tesla crash after ‘its electronic doors failed’

    The sole survivor of the tragic ordeal struggled to get the electric vehicle's door open

    Niamh Shackleton

    Niamh Shackleton

    google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
    Featured Image Credit: CityNews/YouTube/CTV

    Topics: Tesla, Electric Cars, News, World News, Canada

    Niamh Shackleton
    Niamh Shackleton

    Niamh Shackleton is an experienced journalist for UNILAD, specialising in topics including mental health and showbiz, as well as anything Henry Cavill and cat related. She has previously worked for OK! Magazine, Caters and Kennedy.

    X

    @niamhshackleton

    Advert

    Advert

    Advert

    Four people have lost their lives after the Tesla vehicle they were travelling in erupted into flames after crashing.

    The ordeal occurred in Toronto, Canada, on October 24 and claimed the lives of Jay Sisodiya, Digvijay Patel, Neelraj Gohil, and his sister Ketaba Gohil.

    The deceased ages range from 26 to 32.

    It's believed that the person behind the wheel of the car lost control and crashed into a guardrail. The electric vehicle, a Tesla, then burst into flames and those inside struggled to get out.

    Advert

    There was one survivor of the tragic ordeal, who was saved by Canada Post employee Rick Harper who smashed a window to help the 25-year-old woman exit the Tesla.

    It's believed that she had been trying to get out, but the car's doors - which work electronically - reportedly wouldn't open, leaving Harper with no choice but to break the window.

    Recalling the harrowing incident, Harper told Toronto Star: "You couldn’t open the doors. I would assume the young lady would have tried to open the door from the inside, because she was pretty desperate to get out."

    "I don’t know if that was the battery or what. But she couldn’t get out," he added.

    Harper was unaware that there were others in the car as the vehicle was so full of smoke that he couldn't see them.

    The vehicle was badly damaged in the ordeal (City News/YouTube)
    The vehicle was badly damaged in the ordeal (City News/YouTube)

    According to Randy Schmitz, a captain with the Calgary Fire Department and chairman of Alberta Vehicle Extrication Association, EVs like Teslas have electric doors and need power to open them.

    He added that should a car be involved in a crash and it cuts power to the vehicle, it will leave the doors 'inoperable using the normal buttons'.

    While it remains unclear what caused the collision, it's believed that the severity of the fire is linked to the car's battery.

    Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop said, as per CBC: "Certainly the intensity of the fire is directly linked to the battery cells in the Tesla."

    The fatal ordeal comes after Tesla bragged that its cars are the 'safest in the world'.

    Tesla say that its cars are the 'safest in the world' (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
    Tesla say that its cars are the 'safest in the world' (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

    Part of a safety report issued by the car manufacturer read: "Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y have achieved among the lowest overall probability of injury of any vehicles ever tested by the U.S. government’s New Car Assessment Program.

    "Much of this has to do with the rigid, fortified structure of the battery pack that is mounted to the car’s floor, which provides a vehicle with exceptional strength, large crumple zones, and a uniquely low center of gravity. Because of their strength, Tesla’s battery packs rarely incur serious damage in accidents.

    "And, in the extremely unlikely event that a fire occurs, the state-of-the-art design of our battery packs ensures that its safety system works as intended and isolates a fire to select areas within the battery while simultaneously venting heat away from the passenger cabin and the vehicle."

    UNILAD have approached Tesla and Toronto police for comment.

    Choose your content:

    14 mins ago
    3 hours ago
    8 hours ago
    • Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
      14 mins ago

      Donald Trump refuses to wear bulletproof vest over fears of looking heavier

      The US president expressed his concerns over the life saving equipment adding 20lbs to his appearance

      News
    • Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images
      3 hours ago

      Jeffrey Epstein’s cellmate claims to have read his suicide note that's been sealed from the public

      The note was allegedly left with Epstein's cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, according to a new report

      News
    • Joseph Okpako/WireImage
      8 hours ago

      Influencer claims she poisoned herself by eating one common food every day

      The content creator said doctors called to tell her she had 'dangerously high arsenic levels'

      News
    • State Department
      8 hours ago

      New passports with Donald Trump's face are raising huge concern for Americans

      The face of President Trump could be on your passport long after he leaves office

      News
    • Widow of man who died in Cybertruck accident alleges Tesla burned so hot in crash that his bones disintegrated
    • Man shocked after learning how much Tesla he purchased for $62,990 in 2022 is now worth
    • Man driving Tesla for a year compares cost of charging to gas and reveals shocking difference
    • Family sues Elon Musk’s Tesla after alleging Cybertruck owner’s bones disintegrated in inferno after crash