A Tesla Taxi Cab Involved in an Accident in Paris with Twenty Injuries

On Saturday, December 11, 2021, an off-duty G7 taxi driver in Paris was taking his family to a restaurant when his Tesla Model 3 experienced what appeared to be sudden unintended acceleration and brake failure. The incident occurred around 9 PM in the 13th arrondissement on avenue d'Ivry. According to the driver and witnesses, the car suddenly accelerated on its own and the brakes did not respond despite the driver's efforts. The vehicle hit a cyclist who later died, struck two pedestrians at a crossing, smashed through a glass recycling container sending glass fragments into bystanders, hit another pedestrian and a traffic light, before finally stopping when it crashed into a van near Le Mandarin de Choisy restaurant. One person was killed and 20 others were injured, with 3-8 people suffering serious or life-threatening injuries according to various reports. The driver, who had been a taxi driver since the 1990s with no prior serious accidents, tested negative for alcohol and drugs. G7 taxi company suspended all 37 Tesla Model 3s in its fleet pending investigation. Tesla told French authorities there was no indication of technical fault, though police are analyzing the vehicle's data recorder. It remains unclear whether Tesla's Autopilot feature was active during the incident.