Posted on 10/24/2024 8:07:59 AM PDT by jerod
5th person was pulled from burning vehicle by a passerby, police say
Four people were killed in a fiery single-vehicle crash in downtown Toronto early Thursday, while the lone survivor was pulled from the burning car by a passing driver, police say.
The deadly collision happened around 12:10 a.m. on Lake Shore Boulevard E. near Cherry Street.
A Tesla sedan with three men and two women inside was speeding eastbound on Lake Shore when the driver lost control and hit a guardrail, said Toronto police Duty Insp. Phillip Sinclair. The car then careened into a concrete pillar.
"Upon impact, the vehicle then caught fire," Sinclair told reporters.
When firefighters arrived on scene, the car was fully engulfed in flames, said Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop, who spoke alongside Sinclair.
Once the blaze was extinguished, firefighters found four people inside the vehicle. All four were pronounced dead at the scene, Sinclair said. They were in their 20s and 30s, he said, but could not provide any more specific information about the deceased.
A woman in her 20s was pulled from the burning car by a passing motorist who stopped to help, according to Sinclair. She was taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
Investigators have interviewed the Good Samaritan, Sinclair said.
"We have been speaking to them, and obviously they are also deeply effected by this incident. It's a very horrific scene for that bystander to step in to," he said.
The circumstances of the crash and causes of the subsequent fire are still under investigation, and police appealed for any witnesses or anyone with dashcam video of the collision to contact Traffic Services.
"Certainly the intensity of the fire is directly linked to the battery cells in the Tesla," Jessop said, quickly adding that emergency services have responded to many "horrible fires" in gasoline-powered vehicles.
"So, I don't want to suggest or comment until the investigation is complete," he continued.
Jessop said, generally, electric vehicle fires require "exponentially more water" to put out. Disposing of the battery cells afterward is especially complex because there is a risk they can catch fire again "weeks and weeks later" due to a process known as thermal runaway, wherein a current causes the battery to heat up, which then increases the current, in turn causing the temperature to continue rising.
Jessop said a battery cell from the Tesla was ejected during the crash. It had to be removed from the scene in a dumpster and covered in sand, he said.
Toronto Fire has spent the last year developing new protocols for battling battery-related fires.
"This is an evolving technology and we will continue to do our research, work with our jurisdictional peers across North America to make sure we have the best practices in the City of Toronto," he said.
“But they drove with pride....”
Those things need governors. They are faster than people can react. A governor would increase range too.
The difference between an electric vehicle catching fire, compared to a gasoline vehicle catching fire... Gasoline vehicles do not re-ignite weeks later.”
Another difference: gasoline burn temp: 1,500 degrees. EV battery burn temp: 4,500 degrees and much more nasty pollution.
Hmmmmmm! Any number given for the amount of net zero pollutants released during the blaze? Must be zero right?
LOL. In a Yugo.
EVs are very fast and some have trouble with that
In A Yugo (In The Ghetto) - Paul Shanklin (Elvis Presley) [1998]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NWusM1EwBQ
Paul Shanklin needs to create a new one called, “In A Tesla,” with the appropriate lyrics that include being immolated inside one.
LOL! Great Rush Limbaugh tie-in.
There are several cities that now have a pool/tank to put an electric car in IF it catches fire. That way they can submerge the vehicle and leave it there for a week.
This was told to me by the chief of my local volunteer fire department.
Since the whole thing is computer controlled, a governor would be simple.
The problem though would be its effect on sales and people would soon find a work-around.
Governors are also a safety hazard unto themselves. I’ve driven governed vehicles back in the 55 mph speed limit days. The vehicle was governed to 55. It makes it almost impossible to safely pass a vehicle going 50 unless you are out in the middle of nowhere.
And this crash happened in downtown Toronto. Speeding in a downtown area could mean going no faster than 50 mph, which in a crowded area is extremely unsafe.
The fault for the crash is the feel good people in the vehicle, not the not the vehicle itself. The cause of the fire is obvious.
Was it going ludicrous speed or had they gone to plaid? If I'm driving an ev I'm being extra careful knowing it's potential for rapid acceleration, speed and fire.
"effected", huh? Where's that "Regards" guy? He's supposed to catch stuff like this.
I wonder what country they were from?
Most likely India or Pakistan
Every time I’ve seen one of these things catch fire, its ugly and scary. The fire can’t be put out and it burns white hot.
My daughter and her husband have one. She won’t drive it. He has to drive it to work. Since he’s only a mile or two from work, it’s good for that.
They did their part for the environment. Died fighting the deadly menace of CO2.
“Another difference: gasoline burn temp: 1,500 degrees.”
Gasline in air: 3880 degrees F.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adiabatic_flame_temperature
Not the downtown core. That area on Lake Shore is a bit more open. A good part of it under an elevated expressway hence lots of pillars. It’s a main road but there are stop lights and to drive safely one should drive at a reasonable speed. I think the limit is 60 kph which is around 35 to 40 mph.
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