Model S

Make
Tesla
Segment
Sedan

Once again, here we see another inattentive driver blame an accident on Tesla's Autopilot assist. Sadly, people still seem to be confusing their Tesla's with full self-driving cars that need no human intervention. After a driver recently tried to get out of a DUI by telling police he was able to drive with Autopilot engaged while intoxicated, a Tesla Model S slammed into the back of a parked fire truck at 65 mph on a California freeway. Luckily there were no injuries, but the Model S EV sustained serious damage during the frontal crash.

The electric sedan's front-end is completely dismembered as the crash lifted the hood and bent it out of shape. We wouldn't be surprised if there is some mechanical suspension damage as well. Unsurprisingly, the Model S came off worse in the impact, but the fire truck it rear-ended was also damaged. Its damage wounds are comparatively minor though, leaving the truck with a broken tail light and some dents and scratches. "While working a freeway accident this morning, Engine 42 was struck by a Tesla traveling at 65 mph. The driver reports the vehicle was on Autopilot," the Culver City Fire Department wrote on Twitter.

"Amazingly, there were no injuries! Please stay alert while driving!". The driver told police they were using Autopilot, but this hasn't been confirmed by Tesla. Thing is, it's easy to blame Autopilot, but it's not as if Tesla doesn't make it abundantly clear that you still need to pay attention when using the driver assist. The automaker continually stresses that Autopilot "is intended for use only with a fully attentive driver." Until fully autonomous cars hit the market, it's advice we should all heed. Sadly, this wasn't the first Tesla Autopilot-related accident, and it certainly won't be the last.