The Moment They Realized the Tesla Doors Won’t Open – It Gets Dark Fast!

When a car accident occurs, the ability to quickly and safely escape is critical. In a heartbreaking tragedy, four people died in a Tesla when its electric doors failed to open, trapping them inside as the car went up in flames.

Tesla has long promoted itself as the “safest car in the world,” positioning its vehicles above many other brands in terms of safety. However, in this tragic incident, the vehicle’s basic functionality failed, leaving four friends to perish as they struggled in vain to open malfunctioning doors.

The incident took place when the Tesla crashed into a guardrail along Lake Shore Boulevard East in Toronto, at high speed. The impact damaged the internal door mechanisms, which are designed to open with an electronic button. However, in this case, the button failed, making the car an inescapable death trap.

The collision sparked a fire that rapidly consumed the vehicle. Inside, the five passengers scrambled to escape, but the doors would not open. Rick Harper, a nearby witness to the crash, rushed to help. He broke a window to pull a 20-year-old woman from the vehicle, rescuing her from the smoke and flames.

Despite his desperate attempts to assist, Harper could not reach the four other passengers trapped inside. Thick smoke poured from the car, obscuring his view and preventing him from locating them. Tragically, 25-year-old Neelraj Gohil, his sister Ketaba Gohil, 29, Jay Sisodiya, and Digvijay Patel were unable to escape and perished in the fire.

Tesla’s Claims of Safety

Tesla markets itself as having the “safest car in the world,” but the reality is more complex. The company asserts that the car includes a manual override in case of an electronic failure during a crash. This system involves a cable hidden behind a panel in the door that can be pulled to release the door and allow passengers to escape.

However, this emergency escape feature is not well advertised. It is crucial information that all Tesla owners should be aware of, yet in an emergency like this one, it is unlikely that anyone inside the car would be able to recall how to access it. The manual override is tucked away and not easily accessible, raising concerns about its practicality when seconds count.

While the system may be effective when working, its hidden nature and reliance on a cable in a high-stress situation make it a risky solution. In the case of this fatal accident, the Tesla’s electronic doors failed, leading to a catastrophic loss of life. If the emergency manual escape had been more readily accessible or better understood, the outcome might have been different.

A Call for Change in Safety Design

This tragedy raises significant questions about vehicle safety, particularly in emergencies. While Tesla’s electric door mechanisms are a modern feature, the company’s reliance on them to open in critical moments may not be enough. A foolproof, easily accessible emergency escape route is vital for every car, especially for electric vehicles where electronic failures can be more common.

It’s crucial for car manufacturers, especially those like Tesla who market their cars as leaders in safety, to ensure that life-saving features are not only reliable but also well-publicized and accessible. If the tragic deaths of these four individuals can spark a change in the way car manufacturers approach emergency exit designs, perhaps their deaths won’t be in vain.

As Tesla continues to make headlines for its innovation and safety features, it’s clear that the true test of a car’s safety is not just in its design or reputation, but in how it performs in the most dire of circumstances. For the friends and families of those lost, the lesson is painfully clear: no system is safe unless it is reliable when it’s needed most.