Days after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Association lodged a probe against the autopilot of Tesla Inc (TSLA), a Model 3 variant crashed in a school in Southern England injuring six children and an adult in the process. One 8-year-old had to be airlifted to the nearby hospital after being seriously injured in the crash.<\/p>\n
The blue Model 3, driven by a 47-year old woman, crashed near Ardingly, Sussex on Monday afternoon. The Principal of the school, Ben Figgis said that the children were getting ready for a holiday camp near the school ground. However, the administration is yet to confirm whether Autopilot was involved in the crash or not.<\/p>\n
The woman involved in the crash was not injured, while the victims were rushed to the hospital. The eight-year-old who was airlifted to St George’s Hospital in London is also stable and under care in the hospital, according to reports.<\/p>\n
While more and more cases of Autopilot-related crashes pile up against the electric vehicle maker, the Sussex police have called the incident a “collision involving a car and pedestrians.”<\/p>\n
The superintendent, James Collins added, “The cause of the collision will form part of our investigation, and we ask people not to speculate at this time.”<\/p>\n
Tesla has been on the receiving end of a lot of controversies lately after the NHTSA reported 17 injuries and at least one fatality due to the car maker’s Autopilot system failure. The Office of Defects Investigation has reported 11 crashes involving the Advanced Driving Driving Assistance System in the cars. While this case is not supposed to influence the investigation in the US but it will surely tarnish the image of the company. <\/p>\n