A Tesla employee died in a fiery crash in Colorado in 2022 when his Model 3 veered off the road and hit a tree while allegedly using Tesla's Full Self-Driving feature, which if confirmed would be the first known fatality involving the technology.
On May 16, 2022, Hans von Ohain, a 33-year-old Tesla recruiter and employee, died when his 2021 Tesla Model 3 crashed into a tree and burst into flames on Upper Bear Creek Road in Evergreen, Colorado. His passenger Erik Rossiter survived and told emergency responders that von Ohain was using an 'auto-drive feature on the Tesla' that 'just ran straight off the road.' Rossiter later clarified he believed von Ohain was using Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature at the time of the crash. Earlier that day, the pair had been golfing and drinking alcohol, with von Ohain's autopsy revealing a blood alcohol level of 0.26, more than three times the legal limit. Colorado State Patrol Sgt. Robert Madden found no skid marks at the crash site but discovered 'rolling tire marks,' indicating the motor continued powering the wheels after impact, which he said 'fits with the driver-assistance feature being engaged.' The intense fire fueled by lithium-ion battery cells killed von Ohain through smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. Police were unable to recover data from the vehicle due to fire damage, and Tesla stated it could not confirm driver-assistance system usage because it 'did not receive data over-the-air for this incident.' Tesla reported the crash to NHTSA as involving a driver-assistance feature but the specific system could not be confirmed. Von Ohain had received FSD for free with his employee discount and regularly used the feature according to his widow Nora Bass.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
AI systems that fail to perform reliably or effectively under varying conditions, exposing them to errors and failures that can have significant consequences, especially in critical applications or areas that require moral reasoning.
AI system
Due to a decision or action made by an AI system
Unintentional
Due to an unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed