In recent news, two families averted a certain tragedy when the automatic brakes on their Tesla cars stopped them from being crushed to death by a falling tree in Storm Dennis.
On February 15, near the village of Sturminster Marshall, Laurence Sanderson was driving through Dorset in his Model X electric saloon when the 400-year-old oak landed on the car’s bonnet.
Coincidently, another Tesla Model X was traveling toward the Sandersons when the tree fell. It’s standard safety technology also reacted the same way with the cutting-edge technology and saved all occupants.
Mr. Sanderson was traveling with his wife Anna in the passenger seat, with his children Max (12), Isabella (9), and Rex (3) in the back seat.
While speaking with The Mirror, Laurence Sanderson said that their survival was nothing but a miracle. He further added that they would have been crushed to death if not for the emergency brake, as he wouldn’t have been able to react in time. His wife Anna suffered minor injuries. The other family members escaped more or less unscathed.
The instance was shared by Kitty McConnell who was traveling in the second Tesla with her boyfriend and her mother when the incident occurred. She posted on her Twitter handle thanking Elon Musk for Tesla‘s feature that saved them all.
Hey @elonmusk
Your car saved my life.. and by boyfriends.. and my mothers.. and a family of five.
Thank you https://t.co/UuQTNmetuZ
— Kitty McConnell (@Kitty_McConnell) February 18, 2020
Elon Musk also replied to the incident saying that he is glad that everyone is okay.
Glad you’re all ok! ❤️
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 19, 2020
Active safety features made possible by Tesla‘s Autopilot hardware and software system include Automatic Emergency Braking which detects cars or obstacles that the car may impact and applies the brakes accordingly.
