Detroit police blame the driver for the Tesla crash with a semi-truck that seriously injured woman

DETROIT David LeValley, assistant chief of the Detroit Police Department, recently spoke to Local 4 News about the accident that occurred last Thursday with a Tesla and tractor trailer in southwest Detroit.

The accident seriously injured Tesla passenger, 21-year-old Esmeralda Barco.

‘It appears that speed was a major factor in the collision. “All the indications we have at this stage are that the vehicle was not in automatic mode, and that the driver was in control of the vehicle during the accident,” LeValley said.

Read: Was it an autopilot or a driver error? Feds investigate Tesla crash in west Detroit

Read more: SU sends team to Detroit to investigate Tesla semi-accident

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Despite preliminary information released Tuesday morning, DPD investigators will meet with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other agencies later this week to look for clues that may still be under the hood.

“Individuals from the agency, along with the officer in charge of the case here in Detroit, and the Michigan police are going to remove a black box and an SD card from the Tesla,” LeValley said.

DPD could not comment on what exactly the cards entailed, although the broken down vehicle is still in their possession.

“We believe that once we look at the black box and download the information along with the information on the SD card, we will surely be able to determine if the vehicle was in automatic pilot mode or not,” he said. LeValley.

All this except for a broader investigation conducted on behalf of the NHTSA to determine if there are two accidents in Florida that also happened to Teslas.

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“I think there are a few other accidents in which Tesla vehicles have been involved in other parts of the country,” LeValley said.

Only the accidents were fatal and the self-driving function is used. At the moment, the blame is on the person who sat behind the wheel.

“They did approve it and today approved the complaints by smoking the driver for reckless driving and causing serious injuries,” LaValley said.

Local 4 News has been informed that the driver will be arrested again soon. Meanwhile, the investigation by the NHTSA will continue.

Barco is still fighting for her life and is dealing with brain hemorrhage and serious back injuries.

An online fundraiser was created on behalf of the woman. Click here to make a donation for the online fundraiser to help the victim.

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