Woman dies in San Rafael after crashing Tesla into swimming pool
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - A woman is dead after veering her Tesla into a swimming pool in San Rafael Saturday morning.
The California Highway Patrol said around 7:25 a.m., they received calls about a car in a residential swimming pool on Point San Pedro Road. The unnamed female driver, for reasons currently unknown, allowed her vehicle to veer right and crashed through a fence at 44 Bonnie Banks Way, entering the pool in the backyard, and coming to a stop against the pool's wall.
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The driver was not wearing a seatbelt during the crash and died at the scene from her injuries, authorities said.
Officials said the vehicle was a 2019 model. The driver was traveling westbound on Point San Pedro Road to Bayview Drive when she crashed. She was the only occupant, according to authorities.
None of the homeowners or its occupants were injured.
The home and pool belong to Barbara Kuffner, who told KTVU she was jolted from her sleep.
"I hear a loud boom and like water…I thought it was like thunder and lightning and rain and I saw flashing lights in the backyard, in the pool," said Kuffner.
A friend and guest of Kuffner immediately ran to assist.
"[He] was there trying to open the car and get the person out, but he couldn't…I called 911, and they came within five minutes," she said.
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While this is not the first car that has ever entered a swimming pool, the car being a Tesla raises many questions that will be investigated.
"Of course it raises an issue with me because I've seen this on the news with Teslas many times. Was the car on auto drive or autopilot…" said Kuffner.
"We don't know if any kind of automated systems were activated…we can probably pull up those records to see if it was or was not," said CHP officer Horner.
It's unknown if the woman is a resident of Marin County or lived in the area where the crash occurred.
Officials said they have not determined if drugs, alcohol, or speed played a role at this time and said an investigation is ongoing.
KTVU Reporter Tom Vacar contributed to this story.