Welcome back to my channel! In today’s video, I bring you a heartbreaking story about the tragic death of a Tesla employee’s wife in what could potentially be the first-ever fatal crash involving Full Self-Driving technology. The Washington Post recently reported that Hans von Ohain, a Tesla recruiter, lost his life when his Tesla Model 3 veered off a Colorado mountain road and collided with a tree, resulting in a fiery explosion.
Ohain’s friend, Erik Rossiter, who was also in the vehicle at the time of the 2022 incident, informed first responders that the car was utilizing the “auto-drive feature on the Tesla” and simply veered off the road without warning. This unparalleled incident, which Tesla has yet to publicly acknowledge, could mark the first fatality directly linked to the car company’s Full Self-Driving technology.
Despite Ohain being intoxicated during the crash, investigations revealed that it was not a typical case of drunken driving. Authorities observed no skid marks but noticed “rolling tire marks,” suggesting that the Tesla was still in motion even after the collision occurred. Sgt. Robert Madden of Colorado State Patrol stated that this aligns with the hypothesis that the [driver-assistance] feature was active. Moreover, the subsequent fire that engulfed the car was described by Madden as one of the most intense vehicle fires he has encountered. This intensity was primarily due to the presence of lithium-ion battery cells beneath the Tesla’s undercarriage. Ohain’s cause of death was determined to be smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, as clarified by the Post. Sgt. Madden shared that had it not been for the ferocity of the flames, Ohain might have survived the crash.
Nora Bass, Ohain’s widow, expressed her disappointment and grief, explaining that her husband placed great trust in Elon Musk’s vision for autonomous vehicles. Unfortunately, she now believes that they were merely “guinea pigs,” used to address the flaws in Tesla’s self-driving technology while being falsely assured of their safety. “Regardless of how drunk Hans was, Musk has claimed that this car can drive itself and is essentially better than a human,” Bass conveyed to the Post. “We were sold a false sense of security.”
As of now, neither Bass nor representatives from Tesla have provided a comment on this tragic incident. Tesla’s current self-driving technology disclaimer emphasizes that it is intended for use with an alert driver who is prepared to take control at any moment. While Tesla’s autonomous features aim to improve over time, the currently enabled ones do not render the vehicle fully autonomous.
It is important to note that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving capability is still in beta testing. Although there have been several accidents, some fatal, related to Tesla’s Autopilot technology (specifically for highway use), Tesla has not been legally held responsible for these incidents. However, the Full Self-Driving feature, designed to navigate Tesla vehicles through various scenarios, has not yet been definitively linked to any deaths. In November 2022, a Tesla driver involved in an eight-car pileup on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge claimed to have been using Full Self-Driving, heightening the discussion of the potential risks associated with this technology.
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