At least seven people were reported injured after an alleged car thief stole a Tesla S and crashed at high speed. He was the first person ever to be reported killed in a crash driving the vehicle.
The incident took place on July 4 in Los Angeles. The alleged car thief was Joshua Michael Flot, a resident of Inglewood, California. The man, who was 26 years old, was reported dead July 7. He died from his injuries after the high-speed crash.
Flot's family reportedly confirmed the driver's identity, so his name wasn't disclosed to the press until days after his death. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office made the announcement.
A spokesperson for Tesla made an announcement regarding the July 4 incident. Simon Sproule said the company was "saddened by the harm that resulted from the July 4 theft and crash."
Flot allegedly drove off with a Tesla Model S from its service center lot and got into a chase with police, who reportedly spotted the young driver. Interestingly, police were involved in a small incident of their own while on the chase and gave up on it because they didn't have enough resources to manage the situation. Even though Flot wasn't being actively pursued, he didn't bother to slow down, reaching speeds of up to 100 mph, the report explained.
He then hit a few cars and a couple of poles. Upon final impact, the vehicle was split in two, ejecting Flot from the electric car. One section of the Tesla started burning. The rear half was flung into a nearby building, where it became jammed.
Amazingly, it was reported that Flot wasn't initially dead at the scene when responders arrived. He was resuscitated on the way to the hospital, but ultimately died from his injuries.
This is the first reported case of a death in a Tesla automobile. The electric car manufacturer is based in Palo Alto, California. The company's visionary leader is Elon Musk. The electric cars are planning to expand operations by selling directly to customers, bucking the trend of the manufacturer-dealer-customer business model that has existed for so long in the American automobile industry.
Tesla recently reinforced the car's battery pack after crash-related fires involving two Model S sedans took place last year. A federal safety review took place thereafter. A Tesla Model S electric car sells for about $71,000 brand new.
