A driver of a Tesla Model S was killed and a passenger was critically injured on Saturday when their car collided with a fire truck that was shielding first responders working another accident on Interstate 680 in northern California.
The collision occurred at around 4 a.m. The fire truck was parked diagonally in northbound lanes of the freeway with its lights on to protect first responders working on an earlier accident that did not result in any injuries.
Four firefighters in the ladder truck were treated for minor injuries. It is not immediately clear if the driver of the Tesla was intoxicated or if the vehicle was operating with automation or driving assistance features.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating how Tesla’s Autopilot system detects and responds to emergency vehicles parked on highways after at least 16 crashes involving parked police or fire vehicles.
The investigation remains active despite Tesla’s recall of nearly 363,000 vehicles earlier this week due to potential flaws in “Full Self-Driving” mode.