Hans von Ohain & Erik Rossiter were on their way to play golf one afternoon in 2022 when von Ohain’s #Tesla suddenly swerved off Upper Bear Creek Road. The car’s driver-assistance #software, Full #SelfDriving, was struggling to navigate the mountain curves, forcing von Ohain repeatedly to yank it back on course.
“The first time it happened, I was like, ‘Is that normal?’” recalled Rossiter, who described the 5-mile drive on the outskirts of Denver as “uncomfortable.” “And he was like, ‘Yeah, that happens every now & then.’”
Hours later, on the way home, the #Tesla Model 3 barreled into a tree & exploded in flames, killing von Ohain, a Tesla employee & devoted fan of CEO #ElonMusk.
Rossiter, who survived the crash, told emergency responders that von Ohain was using an “#AutoDrive feature on the Tesla” that “just ran straight off the road,” acc/to a 911 dispatch recording…. In a recent interview, Rossiter said he believes that von Ohain was using #FullSelfDriving, which — if true — would make his death the first known fatality involving #Tesla’s most advanced driver-assistance #technology.