Tesla driver dies in fire truck crash in California

(Reuters) – A California Tesla driver died after crashing with a fire truck on an interstate highway early on Saturday, fire departments said.

US regulators are investigating Tesla vehicles with Autopilot driver assistance systems over a string of crashes with parked emergency vehicles.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside business hours.

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Department said in a tweet that one passenger in the Tesla was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Four firefighters were released with minor injuries after being evaluated, an official said.

The department said the truck blocked lanes of I-680 after an earlier crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that its investigation, which opened in 2021, “remains open and active in Tesla’s Autopilot and related vehicle systems.” Tesla vehicles are being reviewed to make sure drivers are paying attention.

The statement comes after Tesla announced a recall of more than 362,000 US vehicles to update its full self-driving beta software, raising concerns with regulators that the driver assistance system does not adequately comply with traffic safety laws and could cause accidents.

(Reporting by Urvi Dugar and Sneha Bhowmick in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)