A Tesla driver died in Buckeye, Arizona, after their electric vehicle crashed and caught fire, according to Fox 10 Phoenix. The unknown Tesla model crashed at an intersection around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the outlet. The driver, who died at the scene, was the only person inside the vehicle. A hazmat crew was required to extinguish the lithium battery blaze. These fires, caused by a chemical reaction called thermal runaway, are known to be difficult to put out. It remains unclear how the accident occurred. Back in August, Elon Musk’s company settled a $329 million lawsuit over a 2019 fatal crash, in which its self-driving software was partially blamed. In September, Tesla settled two more lawsuits where the vehicles’ Autopilot was again indicated to be at fault in two fatal 2019 accidents. Tuesday’s crash further impacts the electric car firm’s safety record, which a study found had the highest fatal crash rate among any other car brand between 2017 and 2022.
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