Dump truck dashcam captures Tesla driving wrong way in Scottsdale collision
WATCH: Tesla veers into opposing traffic, triggers dump truck crash
Newly released video shows the moment a Tesla drove into opposing traffic in Scottsdale, triggering a chain-reaction crash that sent a dump truck into another car and then a wall. FOX 10's Kenzie Beach has the details.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Newly released video shows the moment a Tesla drove into opposing traffic in Scottsdale, triggering a chain-reaction crash that sent a dump truck into another car and then a wall.
What we know:
It happened near 74th Street and Cactus Road on Dec. 2, the police department said.
"Based on the initial investigation, the driver of the Tesla was originally traveling eastbound on Cactus Road before veering left and driving the wrong way into the westbound lanes of Cactus Road, where it collided head-on with the dump truck in the curb lane. The dump truck then veered left into a Nissan Maxima (sideswipe), which was driving next to it, before continuing south across the eastbound lanes of Cactus Rd into and through the residential wall," investigators said.
Both the drivers of the Tesla and dump truck were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police say impairment and speed are not considered factors in the crash.
The Tesla driver was cited for reportedly driving left of center and failing to control their speed to avoid a collision.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Map of the area where the crash happened
Footage of the crash released
On Dec. 2, the driver of the dump truck released footage from inside the truck, showing the moment the Tesla drove head-on into it.
The truck crashes into a sedan before crashing into an assisted living home's block wall. The pileup shut down Cactus Road for hours and led to the evacuation of the assisted living home.
The dump truck, which was carrying more than 20 tons of rocks, left a large hole in the residential wall when it was towed away. A temporary fence now stands in its place.
What they're saying:
Anette Giurgiu, the assisted living homeowner, described the crash as sounding like an explosion.
"I heard a huge noise, like a bomb. Literally, I call it a bomb," Giurgiu said.
She went to the backyard where her daughter-in-law was, who "literally saw the truck coming in the house, in the fence, through the fence in the yard."
After seeing the Tesla driver, she said, "I thought maybe he died, so I called 911. I was the first one to call 911 because I saw it immediately."
Saul, the father of the dump truck driver, said his son was injured but stable.
"My boy is kind of worse. Got his leg, kind of pain, but he's alright," Saul said.
Katie, a woman who was near the scene, offered secondhand information she heard.
"What I was told was the Tesla was on auto, and it was a young driver, and it hit the truck and there's another car that was hit," she said. Scottsdale Police said it cannot confirm the autopilot claim.
Giurgiu recalled speaking with the driver of the dump truck.
"The driver said he pulled and grabbed all the brakes that he could grab," Giurgiu said.
The crash sent the dump truck within feet of some patients' bedrooms in the senior living home. Giurgiu said she immediately worried about a fire.
"I was afraid that it was going to catch on fire," she said. "So immediately, my mind said go in and get the patient that was in the room away and move all the patients in front of the house."
Despite the extensive damage—multiple totaled cars, a destroyed wall, water line, and backyard—both drivers were taken to the hospital with only minor injuries.
Giurgiu expressed gratitude that no one was seriously hurt.
"All these things can be fixable, but lives are the most important thing. And that's what we thank God for," she said.