The July crash that killed Pablo Teodoro III, the owner of the Great Harvest Bread Company in Old Town Warrenton, has been added to the list of Tesla crashes now under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, The Associated Press reports.
Teodoro, 57, of Remington, died July 19 when his Tesla, which is believed to have been operating on a partially automated driving system, struck a tractor-trailer pulling out of a truck stop on U.S. 29 in Opal.
The Tesla struck the side of the tractor-trailer and went underneath it, according to the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office. The truck driver was charged with reckless driving.
The crash is the 35th Tesla crash under investigation by the agency since June 2016. At least 17 people have died.
The sheriff’s office told The Associated Press that the possible role of the automated driving system is under investigation, and that the department is “investigating the crash to determine the cause and any potential culpability.”
The federal safety agency will contribute its expertise in the investigation.
Feature image of Tesla sign, Björn Wylezich/stock.adobe.com
For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine’s News newsletter.