Rescuer at Fatal Tesla Cybertruck Crash Says Car Doors Wouldn’t Open
March 13, 2025
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Three people died when a Tesla Cybertruck crashed in San Francisco in November, and newly reported witness testimony said the vehicle’s doors would not open.
Matt Riordan, a friend of the Cybertruck driver who was following in a separate vehicle, told officials that the Tesla’s doors could not be opened from either side, meaning he had to break its windows to try to rescue the passengers, the Bay Area News Group reported.
Newsweek has contacted Tesla for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Tesla is the largest manufacturer of electric cars in the United States, selling about half a million units in the last quarter of 2024, but the company’s products have faced increased scrutiny over safety in recent years following a series of crashes.
What To Know
Soren Dixon, 19; Krysta Tsukahara, 19; and Jack Nelson, 20, died in the Tesla Cybertruck crash in Piedmont, California, on November 27. Riordan managed to drag one passenger, 19-year-old Jordan Miller, to safety.
An investigation from the California Highway Patrol found that the driver and three passengers had alcohol and cocaine in their systems, and authorities attributed the crash to intoxication.
A Tesla Cybertruck in a parking lot in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 13. A Tesla Cybertruck in a parking lot in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 13. Getty Images
Riordan later testified that his rescue attempts were impeded by the doors of the vehicle not opening.
In statements given to authorities, he said that he “pulled for a few seconds, but nothing budged at all.” He added, “I then tried the button on the windshield of Jordan’s door, then Krsyta’s door.”
With the doors locked, Riordan used a 4- or 5-foot-long branch to break a passenger window, the Bay Area News Group reported, and pulled Miller out of the vehicle.
“I could hear Krysta yelling and the car saying ‘crash detected.’ I went back to the broken window and yelled for them to try to get out at this window,” Riordan said, adding, “Krysta tried to come up, sticking her head [out] from the back, I grabbed her arm to try and pull her towards me, but she retreated because of the fire.”
What People Are Saying
Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said in November: “There’s no indication that there were mechanical effects that were the primary cause for the collision.”
What Happens Next
An investigation into the crash by the California Highway Patrol remains ongoing.
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