Pennsylvania State Police cited the driver of a 2016 Tesla Model X involved in a July 1 accident with careless driving and violating roadways laned for traffic. The initial crash report, obtained by the DCNF, does not confirm if the Tesla was in autopilot mode when it crashed and rolled over.
State Trooper Dale Vukovich, the responding officer the day of the crash, completed an investigation into the crash on Monday, but officials with the Pennsylvania State police were not willing to release the accident report to TheDCNF, despite multiple requests.
Albert Scaglione, 77, a Detroit art gallery owner, was traveling with his son-in-law, Tim Yanke, on the Pennsylvania Turnpike when his Tesla vehicle crashed and rolled over. The DCNF has not been able to reach Scaglione, but according to the Detroit Free Press, Scaglione told responding officers that he had activated the autopilot feature.
According to the initial crash report obtained by the DCNF, “Scaglione’s car was traveling east near mile marker 160 at about 5 p.m. when it hit a guard rail off the right side of the roadway. It then crossed over the eastbound lanes and hit the concrete median.” After hitting the median, the Tesla Model X rolled on its roof and came to a stop in the middle eastbound lane.
Following the crash, Tesla told The DCNF it received a message from the car indicating a crash event, but logs were never transmitted. “No data at this point to indicate that Autopilot was engaged or not engaged.” Tesla asserted that “It is not possible to learn more without access to the vehicle’s on-board logs.”
If auto-pilot was on at the time of the crash, it would add to concerns over automated vehicles and connected cars technology. According to the Detroit News, both Scaglione and Yanke were injured in the accident, but the report says the severity is unknown.
The July 1 crash comes a few weeks after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a report on a fatal crash May 7 involving a Tesla that was in autopilot mode. Joshua D. Brown, 40, died in Williston, Fla., when his car’s cameras failed to distinguish the white side of a turning tractor-trailer from a brightly lit sky and didn’t automatically activate the brakes, according to statements by both the government and from Tesla.
The citations come two days after a third Tesla Model X accident, which took place in Montana. Electrek is reporting that the Tesla may have been in autopilot mode at the time of the crash. Tesla has yet to comment on the Montana incident.
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