A man who died after crashing his Tesla into a tree managed to call emergency services to report that he was unable to open the vehicle’s doors due to an electrical failure caused by the collision.
Samuel Tremblett, 20, died trapped inside his Tesla Model Y after an accident in October last year, according to Bloomberg. His family has now filed a lawsuit against the automaker, alleging wrongful death due to negligence.
According to the lawsuit, Tremblett was driving a 2021 Tesla Model Y outside Boston, Massachusetts (USA), when he left the road and crashed into a tree. Although he survived the initial impact, everything changed when the vehicle caught fire.
Apparently, Tremblett was unable to exit the vehicle due to an alleged failure in the electric door-handle system used in Tesla vehicles. He ultimately died as a result of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.
Before his death, Tremblett was able to call emergency services, but rescuers were unable to reach him in time. The lawsuit includes transcripts of the calls made by the victim requesting help.
“It’s on fire. Please help. I’m going to die,” Tremblett said, according to the transcript. “I’m trapped in a car accident… I can’t get out, please help me… I can’t breathe… I’m dying. Help. I’m dying.”
Police officers arrived quickly at the scene but were unable to extinguish the fire or remove Tremblett from the vehicle in time. The lawsuit further claims that firefighters took four hours to put out the fire that engulfed the Model Y.
The lawsuit accuses Tesla of selling vehicles with “defective and excessively dangerous automated door handles” and states that “Tesla had a duty to provide adequate warnings, instructions, and information with the vehicle in question before placing it into the stream of commerce.”
Last year, a Bloomberg report highlighted 15 deaths linked to Tesla’s electric door system as part of a broader investigation into the safety of Tesla doors. Since 2018, there have been 140 reports in the United States alone of people becoming trapped inside Tesla vehicles.
According to Bloomberg, each Tesla vehicle has a low-voltage battery that controls components such as the doors, while a high-voltage battery is responsible for propelling the car forward. If the low-voltage battery is disabled for any reason, the doors will not open normally.
Although Tesla vehicles are equipped with a mechanical door release, Bloomberg emphasized that many drivers are unaware of it or how to operate it. In addition, the panic of a life-or-death situation can make it difficult to remember the proper opening procedure.
These findings are drawing the attention of authorities as electric and retractable door handles have become very popular in modern electric vehicles.
In addition to being aesthetically appealing, automakers argue that this design change also improves overall vehicle aerodynamics. Even so, regulatory bodies around the world are on alert due to the growing number of deaths associated with the feature.
China, for example, announced a ban on electric and retractable door handles on all new vehicles sold in the country starting January 1, 2027. According to analysts, similar regulations are likely to begin emerging soon in Europe and around the world.
Photo: Unsplash. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
