Three Killed in Tesla Cybertruck Crash, Fire Near Oakland

Three people died and one was seriously injured early Wednesday morning in a single-vehicle crash involving a Tesla Cybertruck in Piedmont, California, The Associated Press reports, citing the police.

The incident, which occurred around 3:10 a.m., resulted in a fire that engulfed the vehicle. Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said that speed is believed to be a contributing factor to the collision, though the investigation is ongoing. The occupants of the Cybertruck were returning from a function at the time of the accident, but Chief Bowers declined to provide further details, citing the need to respect the privacy of the victims’ families. He also withheld the identities of the deceased and injured.

A bystander who had also attended the same function, and was traveling separately, managed to pull the surviving victim from the burning vehicle. While responding officers attempted to extinguish the flames with their fire extinguishers, the Piedmont Fire Department quickly brought the blaze under control.

Piedmont Fire Chief Dave Brannigan stated that the rapid extinguishment of the fire suggests it was not caused by the Cybertruck’s large lithium-ion battery.

Chief Bowers addressed concerns about recent recalls of the Cybertruck, which has been on sale for around a year and  subject to six recalls addressing various safety issues, including a recent November 5 recall related to a potential loss of drive power due to an electric inverter fault. Other recalls addressed issues such as rearview camera activation, trim piece detachment, windshield wiper failure, instrument panel warning light font size, and gas pedal sticking.

The crash occurred in Piedmont, a city located around 2.5 miles northeast of Oakland.