Three dead, one in hospital after Cybertruck accident in California

Nov. 29 (UPI) — Three people have died and a fourth has been hospitalized with serious injuries after their Tesla Cybertruck was involved in a single-vehicle collision and engulfed in flames in Northern California, authorities said.

Police Chief Jeremy Bowers in Piedmont, a town of about 10,600 people just outside Oakland, Calif., told reporters in a press conference that the crash happened at the intersection of Hampton Road and King Avenue just after 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, and Bowers says there is no indication that a mechanical issue was a primary cause. He added that speed likely played a contributing factor.

He said the four people had left an unidentified function in the Cybertruck before the crash, which an iPhone inside the vehicle had alerted police at 03.08.

Bowers said officers arrived two minutes later to find the vehicle “fully engulfed in flames” and a bystander trying to pull a passenger out of it.

Officers tried to put out the flames with fire extinguishers but were unsuccessful due to the intensity of the fire, he said.

The firefighters who arrived at the scene at 3:16 a.m., were able to quickly extinguish the flames, Piedmont Fire Chief David Brannigan said.

“Due to the quick nature of being able to suppress the fire, we do not believe the main lithium batteries were on fire, but that will be determined by the investigation,” Brannigan said.

The sole survivor of the crash had been pulled from the Cybertruck by a motorist who may have left the same function as the victims, Bowers explained.

Brannigan said the unidentified driver “probably saved a life.”

“It’s good to know someone was willing to help,” he said.

The victims’ identities will not be released to the public at this time, Bowers said, out of respect for the families’ privacy.

He told reporters that the crash will have a lasting impact on Piedmont.

“This is a very tight-knit community, and this is a community that will rally around members affected by this tragedy,” he said. “But there’s no doubt that this is going to be hugely important to this community. It already has been and it will continue to be.”

The Cybertruck, produced by Tesla, which is owned by Elon Musk, went on sale in November last year. Since then, it has been subject to six recalls, the most recent of which was issued earlier this month.