Tesla Driver Killed In High-Speed Crash, Battery Keeps Reigniting For More Than A Day

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A Tesla proprietor was tragically killed at a crash in Davie, Florida on Sunday afternoon – and police report that the car’s battery reignited multiple days after.

Omar Awan was driving his 2016 Model S on South Flamingo Road near Fort Lauderdale when, at approximately 4:30 pm, the car veered off the road. Police spokesman Sergeant Mark Leone says Awan seemed to overcorrect the car. The car crashed into a row of trees in the median and then crossed three lanes of traffic.

Witnesses tried to save Awan but an extreme fire prevented them from getting close to the car. Police state Awan’s body was “burned beyond recognition” and the car was traveling between 75 mph to 90 mph (120 km/h to 144 km/h) at the time of the crash. The speed limit at this section of the street was 50 miles (80 km/h)…

Battery keeps flaming up because… that’s how they work

Forbes reports that, for at least a day after the crash, emergency officials had to handle the battery pack reigniting at least three times while the car sat at a towing yard.

Tesla models, and other electric vehicles, have been proven to be very difficult to extinguish and frequently reignite. Tesla itself mentions that this is a risk in its Emergency Response Guide.

“Battery fires can take up to 24 hours to extinguish. Consider allowing the battery while protecting exposures to burn off.

“Due to possible re-ignition, a Model S that’s been involved in a submersion, fire, or a collision which has compromised the high voltage battery should be stored in an open area at least 50 feet (15 m) from any vulnerability,” the manual reads.

We ’re not suggesting that the fire was the actual cause of death; that’s for the coroner. It’s also true the crash was so violent that when EV hadn’t erupted in flames, the injuries sustained by the driver might have been lethal. And yes, even ICE-powered automobiles are known to fire up when they crash (or even when they don’t). Not inferring anything – it’s a tragedy when you can attempt to assist an injured person…

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