A tragic crash in Germany has renewed concerns about Tesla's electronic door handles after a 43-year-old man and two nine-year-old children died when their car slammed into a tree and caught fire. According to police and local reports, bystanders who rushed to help—including a nearby shop owner—were unable to open the vehicle's doors due to the electric locking system, leaving the trio trapped inside as flames spread. A third nine-year-old was able to escape and was airlifted to the hospital, the New York Post reports.
The victims' names have not been released. Witnesses described desperate attempts to break into the Tesla, but said the combination of intense heat and the car's design thwarted their efforts. Tesla vehicles typically rely on retractable, electronic door handles that require a power supply (which can fail in a crash) to open from the outside. Although there are manual releases inside, experts note that children may not be able to operate them in a crisis.
The incident occurred just days after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating complaints that Tesla's electronic door handles may fail in emergencies. Germany's largest automobile association also warned earlier this year that such designs could create safety risks. This crash follows a similar tragedy in Toronto last year, in which four people died after being unable to exit a burning Tesla.
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Officials said three vehicles were involved in the Germany incident, People reports, citing local news outlets. "An electric vehicle attempted to overtake a convoy of cars and, for reasons still unclear, left the road and came to rest against a tree," a spokesperson for the local police department said in a statement. "Tragically, it caught fire there, and three people inside the vehicle were burned to death."
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