The driver and passenger in a Tesla Model 3 escaped serious injury after their car crashed into a BC Ferries ramp in West Vancouver, British Columbia over the weekend. While the investigation has not been completed it appears the driver mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.
The incident occurred at the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal on Saturday, January 14. According to Sgt. Mark McLean, spokesperson for the West Vancouver Police Department, the Model 3 “suddenly accelerated into the gate.” As you can see from the photo shared by the West Vancouver Police Department, the impact caused significant damage to the vehicle, and according to BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall the gate was also damaged and the ferry ramp was closed for the rest of the day. (via Glacier Media)
Fortunately the driver and passenger were transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, but the Model 3 was not so lucky as it was totaled.
Sgt. McLean said they haven’t determined a cause for the accident and that they are continuing their investigation to determine whether it was mechanical or driver error. There have been numerous cases where a driver has claimed that their Tesla suddenly accelerated without their input, but in each case the data has shown that the driver pressed the accelerator and not the brake pedal.
The accident could have been a lot worse though, as you can also see from the image that the closed gate stopped the Model 3 from potentially lying off the ferry ramp and into the water. It might sound unbelievable but it has actually happened before, and more than once.
