Hans Von Ohain died in 2022, after his „Tesla“ Model 3 car veered off the mountain road in Colorado and hit a tree. His wife told the Washington Post that she feels that her family was a „guinea pig“ for Elon’s technology.
Erik Rositer, Ohain’s friend who was in the car at the time of the crash and survived the incident, said that Ohain used the autonomous driving function on the „Tesla“ and that the vehicle „just veered off the road.“ If what Rositer said is true, this incident, which „Tesla“ publicly refuses to acknowledge, would be the first known death associated with this automobile company’s autonomous driving technology.
While Ohain was intoxicated at the time of the accident, with a blood alcohol level three times above the legal limit, investigators found that the incident was not a typical drunk driving accident. There were no skid marks indicating any attempt at braking before the impact, and at the crash site, there were „rolling tire tracks,“ indicating that energy was still distributed to the wheels after the collision.
„With the dynamics of the crash and how the vehicle went off the road, without any evidence of a sudden maneuver, this fits the autopilot function that was engaged,“ said State Patrol Trooper Colorado Robert Maden.
Maden also described the subsequent fire that engulfed the car as one of the „most intense“ car fires he has encountered, largely due to the lithium-ion battery cells housed in the lower part of the „Tesla“ vehicle.
It was determined that Ohain’s cause of death was not the impact with the tree but inhaling smoke and thermal injuries, and he would likely have survived the accident had there not been a strong flame.
Nora Bas, Ohain’s widow, told The Post that her husband had so much faith in Elon Musk’s vision for the future of autonomous vehicles that he was willing to endure an untested experience to help improve „Tesla’s“ autonomous driving technology.
„Tesla’s“ current autonomous driving technology is still in the beta testing phase.
There have been numerous crashes – some of them fatal – linked to „Tesla’s“ autopilot technology, designed for use on highways, although „Tesla“ has been found not responsible for these accidents. However, the Full Self-Driving technology has never been linked to any deaths, so Ohain’s death could be the first known to be associated with this technology, writes Business Insider.
