Tesla Autopilot death – was the driver watching a movie?

Tesla Model S in Autopilot mode
Credit: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg/Getty Images/TechRepublic

As reported on these pages on Saturday 02 July, the first fatal traffic accident involving a Tesla Model S in Autopilot mode occurred recently in Florida.

More information has now come to light:

1. Not quite as recently as was first thought. Turns out the collision occurred on Saturday 07 May 2016.¹

2. Joshua Brown was driver of the Model S.

3. The driver of the truck has claimed that Brown was, “playing Harry Potter on the TV screen” – i.e. had a movie playing – & that the movie, “was still playing when he died & snapped a telephone pole a quarter mile down the road.” Associated Press have indicated that the truck driver claimed to have, “heard the movie but didn’t see it.”¹

4. Florida Highway Patrol has confirmed that there was a portable DVD player in the Tesla.^1,2

5. A man who lives on the property where the car came to rest said when he approached the wreckage, 15 minutes after the crash, he could hear the DVD player.²

6. A Florida Highway Patrol trooper on the scene told the property owner, Robert Van Kavelaar, that a Harry Potter movie was showing on the DVD player.²

7. However another witness, Terence Mulligan, said he arrived at the scene before the first Florida state trooper & found, “There was no movie playing. There was no music. I was at the car. Right at the car.”²

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¹ “Tesla driver killed while using autopilot was watching Harry Potter, witness says”, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/01/tesla-driver-killed-autopilot-self-driving-car-harry-potter

² “Tesla crash: DVD player found in car wreckage, amid reports driver was watching Harry Potter”, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-02/tesla-crash-dvd-player-found-in-car-florida-police-say/7562962 / Tesla crash DVD player found car wreckage reports driver watching Harry Potter DVD player found Tesla car autopilot driver killed collision truck May Florida Highway Patrol FHP officials confirm differing reports whether Harry Potter video movie playing portable system DVD player accident FHP Florida Highway Patrol Sergeant Kim Montes portable DVD player in the vehicle no camera found mounted on the dash wreckage player was operating at the time of the crash witnesses wreckage 2015 Model S sedan giving differing accounts player showing a movie man who lives on the property where the car came to rest when he approached the wreckage 15 minutes after the crash hear DVD player Florida Highway Patrol FHP trooper on the scene property owner Robert Van Kavelaar Harry Potter movie showing on the DVD player Mr Van Kavelaar another witness Terence Mulligan arrived at the scene before the first Florida state trooper no movie playing no music I was at the car right at the car Mr Mulligan why the car did not stop turning truck victim Joshua Brown watching the road critical for Tesla Motors Inc electric car maker preliminary inquiry federal regulators safety Model S Autopilot system engaged at the time of the crash Autopilot system car keep itself in a lane maintain speed operate for a limited time without driver doing the steering Tesla statement Autopilot by far most advanced driver assistance system on the road does not turn Tesla into autonomous vehicle does not allow the driver to abdicate responsibility weeks before officials make a final determination of the cause of the crash first known fatality Model S driver while using Autopilot Florida Highway Patrol FHP's Sergeant Montes Tesla engineer downloaded information black box shared with FHP investigators Florida Highway Patrol FHP Florida Highway Patrol ability download information newer vehicles about how vehicle was being driven before a crash does not have the ability to download information from Tesla's data system Sergeant Montes Officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration alerted by Tesla about the crash NHTSA officials first contacted the FHP Florida Highway Patrol Sergeant Montes said lawyer for the truck driver Frank Baressi Model S data recorder been removed before investigators were able to see it victim was identified in police reports obituaries 40-year-old Joshua Brown Tesla enthusiast former Navy SEAL ran a technology company Ohio social media accounts company's website YouTube video account belonging to Joshua Brown recently posted video showing Tesla Model S automatically able avoid truck veered into its lane Mr Weekley top third of the Model S was sheared off rest of it went under the trailer travelled 210 metres on the road 60 more metres off the paved surface before coming to rest Mr Baressi independent owner-operator hauling half-load blueberries 8-wheeler driving made a left turn cross eastbound lanes US Highway 27 Alternate near Williston, Florida Mr Baressi waited allow another car to go by making turn when he first saw the Tesla just cresting the hill I gave it the gas Mr Baressi Tesla left of two eastbound lanes passing lane Tesla struck the white trailer carrying blueberries slow right lane I thought he had a heart attack I don't know why he went over to the slow lane when he had to have seen me Tesla white trailer not easy car's cameras distinguish from the bright Florida afternoon sky crash sunny Saturday afternoon May initial traffic report of the crash /