The men from Texas who died in a fatal crash with a self-driving Tesla Model S were friends who took the car for a spin after dropping off their wife, officials said.
Dr. Will Varner (59) and Everett Talbot (69) were both killed when the driverless car crashed into a tree and burst into flames in The Woodlands, a suburb of Houston, on Saturday night, KTRK news station reported.
None of the men allegedly drove during the accident.
Varner, an anesthetist who allegedly owns the car, was found in the back seat while the Talbot, who runs a financial firm, was in the passenger seat, reports Daily Mail.
“We are currently going through a living hell. As his daughter, I asked everyone to wait until the investigation was completed, “Talbot’s daughter told the outlet.
The National Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they would send teams to investigate the fatal crash.
Harris County, District 4, Const. Mark Herman said officials were “very confident just with the location of the bodies after the impact that no one was driving the vehicle,” KHOU news station reported.
But Tesla CEO Elon Musk denied on Twitter on Monday that the car was on a pilot.
“Data logs that have been restored so far show that Autopilot was not activated and that this car did not purchase FSD,” he said, referring to premium service for full service, which costs $ 10,000.
“On top of that, standard Autopilot would need runways to turn on, which this street did not have,” he added.
The fatal accident took place on Saturday, moments after the men dropped off their wives in a house in the spring and left them on a test drive in the vehicle, reports KTRK.
Varner was recalled in a statement by his employer, Memorial Hermann.
“Dr. Varner was a great person who over the years has personally had a great impact on our family Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center family,” reads the statement received by KTRK.
‘Our thoughts and prayers go out to his whole family, and also to those who have had the privilege of working and serving with him in various capacities. He will be missed by many. ‘
