Driver killed, passenger seriously hurt after being ejected from Tesla on FDR Drive
UPPER EAST SIDE (WABC) -- A driver was killed and passenger injured in a fiery Tesla crash that closed the FDR Drive on the Upper East Side on Tuesday.
The white Tesla, speeding northbound, struck a guardrail and burst into flames at around 3 a.m. near the 71st Street exit.
Both occupants were ejected from the vehicle.
The female driver was pronounced dead on scene and the 26-year-old male passenger was taken New York Presbyterian Hospital - Cornell Burn Unit and has been stabilized.
After the crash, traffic was backed up for miles and the FDR had to be shut down for hours.
Following an hours-long closure at 61st Street, traffic in the northbound lanes resumed with delays just before 8:30 a.m. Southbound traffic resumed just before 7:30 a.m. after being diverted off the roadway at 96th Street.
Witnesses said a northbound car sped past them before crashing.
"He was going at least 120, 130 (mph). At least. And then when he hit the other car, the damage was just so much that it split in half. And that just started going on fire," a witness told Eyewitness News.
Firefighters extinguished the stubborn e-battery fire in the Tesla. The vehicle was loaded on a tow truck and firefighters followed the tow truck to the impound to prevent future flareups.
Officials say lithium-ion batteries under a car pose a major hazard, making for flames that are extremely hot and difficult to put out.
"We have a pretty vociferous, nasty fire to deal with, high temperatures of fire that's very difficult to extinguish," said Professor of fire science Glenn Corbett.
It was just this past September when another Tesla burst into flames after a crash in White Plains, killing two women who trapped inside.
"Firefighters have developed tools now to slide water spray devices underneath the car to try to cool it off," Corbett said.
According to a 2020 report by the National Transportation Safety Board, "fires in electric vehicles powered by high-voltage lithium-ion batteries pose the risk of electric shock to emergency responders. A further risk is that damaged cells in the battery can experience uncontrolled increases in temperature and pressure (thermal runaway), which can lead to hazards such as battery reignition/fire."
It happened in a 2017 crash investigated by the NTSB in California. A 2016 Tesla SUV reignited three times, even as it was being unloaded from a tow truck.
"These cars need to be re-engineered so that the lithium battery packs are virtually protected, are basically protected against having an explosive reaction because of a vehicle accident," Corbett said.
In 2011, the NTSB began working with the National Fire Protection Association to help first responders handle lithium-ion batteries after a crash.
Electric and hybrid vehicle manufacturers were also called on to develop post-crash protocols.
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