Pity the fool who buys a Tesla. It could be the last car he ever owns
Omar Awan, a 48-year-old anesthesiologist, was driving his leased Tesla in February when he lost control on a south Florida parkway and the car slammed into a palm tree, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed in state court in Broward County.
Would-rescuers couldn’t open the doors to extract Awan because the handles were retracted; bystanders watched helplessly as the car filled with smoke and flames, according to the complaint – which alleges the fire originated with the car’s battery.
Amazon.com Gift Card i...
Buy New $10.00
(as of 08:25 UTC - Details)
The door handles on the Model S are flush with the car and pop out — “auto-present” in the words of Tesla – when they detect that the key fob is nearby.
But when the power goes off, the doors can’t be opened.
“Fire engulfed the car and burned Dr. Awan beyond recognition – all because the Model S has inaccessible door handles, no other way to open the doors, and an unreasonably dangerous fire risk,” according to the Oct. 10 suit. The complaint lists the cause of death as smoke inhalation and states that Awan had sustained no internal injuries or broken bones in the crash.
