An autopsy report has revealed that one of the two victims in a deadly Tesla Model S crash where no one was behind the wheel had a blood-alcohol level exceeding the legal driving limit.
Per Reuters, according to the report by Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, William Varner had 0.151 g/100mL of alcohol in his blood after his death, well above the legal blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent in Texas. Varner was found in the back left passenger seat of the EV and died from “blunt force trauma and thermal injuries with smoke inhalation.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is continuing to investigate the crash. Police say that the Tesla veered off the road before hitting a tree and catching fire. When authorities arrived on the scene, they discovered that one occupant was in the front passenger seat while the other was in the rear seat.
Read More: Security Cam Showed Tesla Model S Owner Was In Driver’s Seat Before Fatal Crash
This initially triggered speculation that the car’s Autopilot system had been enabled. However, it was quickly concluded that the lack of lane markings on the road where the crash occurred wouldn’t have allowed the car’s Autosteer system to be enabled. The Traffic-Aware Cruise Control function could have been activated.
Making the crash all the more bizarre is the fact that home surveillance footage from outside the property of the Model S owner showed him and his friend getting into the driver’s seat and front passenger’s seat when they left and the crash occurred just 550 feet from the owner’s home.
Two men dead after fiery crash in Tesla Model S.
“[Investigators] are 100-percent certain that no one was in the driver seat driving that vehicle at the time of impact,” Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said. “They are positive.” #KHOU11 https://t.co/q57qfIXT4f pic.twitter.com/eQMwpSMLt2
— Matt Dougherty (@MattKHOU) April 18, 2021