A Tesla Model S driver is crediting the electric car with saving his life after swerving off the edge of a cliff to avoid a deer.
The driver, who wishes to remain anonymous, walked away from the crash with only minor bruises and soreness despite tumbling 500-feet while admittedly driving in a ‘spirited’ fashion in Berkeley, California.
After swerving to avoid the deer, he and a passenger were left upside down in a trail with a smashed up Model S, but both emerged unscathed.
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Electrek reports, he says: “While driving perhaps a tad too spirited [sic], a deer appeared at a curve at the worst possible moment. I instinctively (mistakenly) swerved to avoid it and my car ended up over the edge.
“We tumbled perhaps 150-200 feet [later found to be 500ft] down a steep slope, ended up upside down.”
It appears that the lack of an engine within the Model S assisted the narrow escape, due to the larger crumple zones. The ‘un-crushable’ roof meant that the cabin did not cave in either.
After “the most terrifying seconds of my life” the pair were even able to hike back up to the road. “It felt rock solid to me and I feel lucky to be alive because of my Tesla,” he said.
Tesla is keen to extol the safety record of its vehicles, especially given the criticism directed at its Autopilot system following the death of a driver in Florida using the semi-autonomous software last year.
Both the company and CEO Elon Musk shared Electrek’s report on Twitter on Wednesday evening.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
