Another Tesla crash under investigation

Reports of a Tesla sedan with semi-autonomous Autopilot colliding with a fire department mechanic truck in Utah, USA, prompted a reaction from Tesla chief executive Elon Musk.

“It’s super messed up that a Tesla crash resulting in a broken ankle is front page news and the ~40,000 people who died in US auto accidents alone in past year get almost no coverage,” he tweeted.

“What’s actually amazing about this accident is that a Model S hit a fire truck at 60mph and the driver only broke an ankle. An impact at that speed usually results in severe injury or death.”

The Tesla rear-ended the truck at 97km/h, apparently without braking before impact, but police say it’s unknown if the Autopilot feature was engaged, The Washington Post reports.

The cause of the Friday evening crash at a red light is under investigation, Salt Lake City’s South Jordan police say.

They say the driver of the Unified Fire Authority mechanic truck didn’t need treatment and that the roads were wet from light rain.

The crash comes as federal safety agencies investigate the performance of Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving system.

The NTSB and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are investigating at least two other crashes involving Tesla vehicles. In March, a Tesla Model X SUV crashed on a California highway, killing the driver, and investigators are looking into the performance of the semi-autonomous driving system in that crash.

Tesla told The State

on Sunday it had not received any data from the car in the Utah crash and “does not know the facts of what occurred,” including whether the Autopilot was engaged.

Meanwhile, Musk told employees on Monday the company was undergoing a “thorough reorganisation” as it contends with questions over its production schedule and two crashes involving its cars, The Guardian says.