Dead Tesla traps toddler in scorching heat as electric doors fail [VIDEO]
Dead Tesla traps toddler in scorching heat as electric doors fail
In a harrowing incident in Scottsdale, Arizona, a 20-month-old girl was trapped in a Tesla Model Y after the vehicle’s battery failed. As a result, locking her inside on a blistering hot day. Renee Sanchez, the child’s grandmother, was preparing for a day out at the Phoenix Zoo when the car suddenly died. Thus, leaving the toddler stranded in rapidly rising temperatures.
After strapping her granddaughter into the car seat and closing the door, Sanchez was unable to reopen the vehicle using either her phone or card key.
“I could not get in. My phone key wouldn’t open it. My card key wouldn’t open it,” she recounted.
Realizing the severity of the situation, she urgently called 911.
When firefighters arrived, they were initially uncertain how to gain entry into the electric vehicle.
“The first thing they said was, ‘Uggh, it’s a Tesla. We can’t get in these cars,'” Sanchez said. Desperate to save the child, Sanchez pleaded with the responders to take drastic measures, saying, “I don’t care if you have to cut my car in half. Just get her out.”
The emergency team used an axe to break into the $45,000 vehicle, carefully taping over a window to prevent glass from harming the child. The toddler, although frightened by the commotion, was rescued without serious injury.
This incident is not isolated. Another Tesla owner in Phoenix experienced a similar battery failure, trapping her in 115-degree heat. Additionally, a California woman was trapped for 40 minutes in a Tesla outside a Chick-Fil-A when her car shut down during a software update.
The Model Y, which retails at $45,000, is designed to provide multiple warnings before a battery failure. However, Sanchez’s vehicle provided no such alerts. “When that battery goes, you’re dead in the water,” Sanchez lamented.
In response to these events, Tesla has emphasized the importance of familiarizing owners with the vehicle’s manual emergency mechanisms. Meanwhile, Sanchez urges better education for first responders on handling Tesla emergencies to prevent potentially fatal situations.
Source: azfamily