- Police in Germany blamed EV door handles after a driver and two children died.
- Witness tried to open the doors but failed as fire quickly spread through the car.
- Past incidents have raised concerns about EV door handles and rescue safety.
It’s not just in the United States where Tesla is facing scrutiny over its electric door handles. Shortly after it was revealed that safety regulators in the US were probing the door handles of the Model Y following several disturbing incidents of parents not being able to access their kids inside the cars, police in Germany connected the same design to a crash that left a driver and two children dead earlier this month.
Read: Electric Door Handles Face Global Scrutiny After Deadly EV Crashes
On September 7, the Tesla veered off the side of a road and quickly burst into flames. Images shared online indicate that it was a Model S, meaning it features the completely electric, pop-out door handles. A man who witnessed the crash, Roman Jedrzejewski, ran over to the scene of the crash and attempted to save the occupants, but couldn’t find any way to open the doors.
Trapped Inside
“I just took the fire extinguisher and ran over. But … It didn’t help,” he told German media, reports the New York Post. “I wanted to save people. I tried to open the car, but that didn’t work either. It was already so hot from the fire, but the right side of the car was still relatively undamaged. Damn it, I didn’t help. It didn’t work. The car was half hanging in a tree at head height and was burning at the front. But you just couldn’t get it open, I wanted to pull the children out.”
One of the passengers, a 9-year-old child, managed to escape. The driver, a 43-year-old man, and two other 9-year-olds could not get out and lost their lives in the blaze.
Local outlet Ruhr Nachrichten reported that firefighters struggled to bring the fire under control as it kept reigniting, most likely because the battery pack had entered thermal runaway. The flames only subsided once the vehicle was completely destroyed.
Recurring Concerns
This is not the first time that the pop-out door handles of the Model S have been linked to a death. In early 2019, a man was killed after crashing his Model S into a palm tree. Police were reportedly unable to open the car’s door handles before the flames took hold and burned the vehicle.
Also: Tesla Is Rethinking The Design Of Its Door Handles
Facing mounting criticism and pressure, Tesla says it is now working on a new design for its door handles. Engineers are developing a single-button system that combines manual and electronic releases, designed to make exits easier not only for drivers but for rescuers trying to reach them.
