WINTER PARK, Fla. – A Tesla driver “unfamiliar with the operation of the vehicle” was ticketed after the car smashed into a Winter Park home on New Year’s Day, according to police.
No one was injured in the crash, which happened around 5:55 a.m. Monday in the 1600 block of Bryan Avenue near Aloma and Lakemont avenues.
According to a news release, the unidentified 20-year-old driver was cited for violation of stop sign/failure to stop.
Winter Park declined an on camera interview with News 6 Tuesday, but they told me over the phone The 20-year-old driver was unfamiliar with the operation of the vehicle and that a mechanical issue occurred which caused the crash, but they wouldn’t specify what that issue was.
The driver and the two adult passengers were not hurt.
“We’re freaking out we don’t know what to do, no one prepares you for a Tesla or a car ending up in your house,” Mason Gregory said.
Gregory said he was in the home asleep, along with his wife and two small kids.
“One of the two truck drivers said If it wasn’t for this tree that slowed him down, he would have gone all the way through the house,” Gregory said.
Gregory said the scariest part is that his kids’ bedroom is only about 10 feet away. He said they are blessed to be alive.
“I want to know if he was impaired, I want to know why he was speeding down this road,” Gregory said.
Police said there was no information suggesting the driver was using Tesla’s Autopilot feature.
“As technology continues to evolve, it is important that drivers take time to learn all the features of their vehicles, so they can properly operate safety equipment such as the headlights and wipers as well as any driver assistance systems,” investigators said. “The driver is ultimately responsible for the safe operation of their vehicle at all times, regardless of any safety features in use.”
“We could have been killed or one of our kids could have been killed by a car that just came through our house in the morning while everyone is sleeping, it’s terrifying,” Gregory said.
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