Although we have seen many Tesla accidents over the last few years, this latest accident in China did not involve Autopilot. Instead, a Tesla Model 3 was t-boned by another vehicle going 40 km/h.
Despite the relatively slow speed impact, the Model 3 veered through a guardrail and ended up in a river.
The accident happened on August 29, 2021 in the city of Haikou, in the Hainan Province in Southern China. The car that hit the Model 3 had a dashcam, and you can check out the recording of the accident on YouTube here:
After the Tesla hits the water, we can see water kicking up as the driver presumably still has their foot on the accelerator.
As the video shows, the Tesla sustained substantial damage from the accident. The entire passenger side of the Model 3 received significant damage. The front right suspension and front passenger tire faced a similar fate.
The car recording the incident also received significant damage to its front-end.
The fortunate part was there were no serious injuries in the accident, even though the Model 3 had three occupants, include a 10-month old child.
It is difficult to tell from the video, but the intersection appears to be controlled by a yield sign, with no traffic lights visible. If that’s the case, it appears as though the car recording the incident is at fault, and not the Tesla.
The accident is currently under investigation by Chinese authorities.
