Feds Investigating Fatal Tesla Crash In Mountain View

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a fiery crash involving a Tesla that killed a man on southbound U.S. Highway 101 on Friday, an NTSB spokesman confirmed. Federal investigators responded to the scene of the fatal crash on the split between Highway 101 and state Highway 85, NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said.

Holloway said investigators will be looking into whether the Tesla, which crashed into a barrier and caught fire as San Mateo resident Wei Huang lost control, had automotive control active.

Investigators will also be researching the post-crash fire and steps to make vehicle removals safe for those on scene. It took approximately five hours to reopen the lanes where the crash took place as Tesla engineers
investigated the scene to make sure that loading the vehicle onto a tow truck was safe for responders.

According to Holloway, it is hard to anticipate how long the investigation will take since each case is different.

"The investigation has begun, it's just a matter of collecting data," he said.

A Sig-alert was issued at 9:29 a.m. Friday after Huang's Tesla hit the median, went up in flames and was struck by both a white Mazda and a gray Audi traveling in adjacent lanes, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Huang was pronounced dead hours later at Stanford University Medical Center, where he was transported after the collision, CHP officials said.

The CHP is also doing its own investigation into the collision.

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By Bay City News Service

Patch file photo by Maggie Avants