Tesla Runs Red Light, T-Bones Firetruck Ahead Of Hurricane Milton Landfall

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In the midst of authorities preparing for what promises to be a disastrous Hurricane Milton hitting Tampa, Florida a Tesla ran a red light, T-boning a firetruck. This is about the last thing first responders need to be dealing with considering what the next 48 hours or so likely means.

A motorcycle YouTuber documents some of the Hurricane Helene devastation.

We saw this accident unfold live on Fox Weather as preparations for the storm were being covered. The sudden, violent, shocking crash took everyone by surprise as the bright red Tesla flew through the red light at what appeared to be a high speed, slamming nose-first right into the side of a firetruck.

It’s unclear if the firetruck’s emergency lights were activated at the time of the crash. If they were, it follows a troubling trend of Teslas running into first responder vehicles with strobe lights going. There has been speculation that emergency lights confuse the cars when they’re in Auto Pilot or Full Self Driving mode.

If the firetruck didn’t have its emergency lights turned on, it’s possible this is just a case of a driver not paying attention. With all the panic surrounding the storm, which certainly seems justified, it seems plausible the Tesla driver was focused more on getting to a safe spot than driving safely.

Either way, the crash has consumed resources at a time when all first responders need to be helping with preparations for the storm, not dealing with someone who can’t be bothered to stop at a red light.

Incidentally, this happened after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told Floridians in the Tampa area they needed to hunker down wherever they are at this point, staying off the roads. If only this Tesla driver had heeded that sage advice.

All Teslas and other EVs in the area pose yet another danger as Hurricane Milton rolls through: the seawater can cause the battery packs to suddenly ignite. Considering electric cars burn hotter than traditional vehicles, that can incinerate a house or other building rapidly when fire crews aren’t able to respond quickly.

Image via The Auto Wire

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A Tesla just ran a red light and T-boned a firetruck in Tampa, Florida. Horrible. pic.twitter.com/OtcybJlC09

— TheAutoWire (@the_auto_wire) October 9, 2024

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