U.S. safety agency starts investigation into Tesla fatal crash in California

The National Highway Traffic Safety Agency (NHTSA) said on Wednesday it is starting a safety investigation into a fatal May 5 Tesla crash in California amid increasing concerns about the automaker’s driver assistance systems.

A Tesla struck into an overturned truck on a highway near Fontana, California, killing the Tesla’s driver and injuring the truck driver and a motorist who had stopped to help him, the California Highway Patrol said.

The highway patrol report did not mention whether the car was operating on Autopilot, it’s semi-autonomous driving system when the crash took place. The Mack truck had crashed and overturned five minutes earlier, obstructing two lanes of the highway, the report said.

NHTSA said it earlier started about 28 special investigations into Tesla crashes, with 24 pending.