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Tesla Model S driver and 8-yr-old son survive 80mph rollover truck crash w/minor injuries [Images]

Last week, we reported on pictures of the aftermath of what must have been a spectacular accident involving a Tesla Model S and a truck on the A2 highway in the Netherlands between Eindhoven and Den Bosch. The Model S was hit by a truck and was seen rolling over at least one time before resting in the middle of the roadway.

Little was known at the time about the driver or any other occupants, other than that the driver was taken to the hospital. We now learn that the Tesla driver was traveling with his 8-year-old son and they both survived the crash with only minor bruises and cuts. The Model S owner took to the forums to explain the moments leading to the accident and to praise the vehicle’s safety features.

The Tesla owner is from Stockholm and goes by ‘Boreno’ on Tesla’s Swedish Owners Club. He wrote a lengthy post (in Swedish) about the events leading to the accident and shared some pictures of the aftermath.

He was on a road trip across Europe with his son. They went to Belgium, France, Germany, Denmark, Holland (taking advantage of the Supercharger network) and they were on their way back home with the car full of goodies from the trip when the accident happened.

Boreno says that he was driving without the Autopilot at 130 km/h (80 mph) in the middle lane of a three-lane highway (A2) when the vehicle launched in the air hitting the driver side on the asphalt first before rolling over more than once with the airbags being deployed mid air based on the description of the events.

Here are a few pictures of the aftermath (via Dichtbij) :

The Model S owner said that his son was conscious and alert when the car came to a stop. He even suggested that they should call the police. Boreno checked his son for any injury or pain, but the boy seemed alright – though he himself was bleeding from a cut on his arm.

They were both transported to the hospital where Bonero received 5 stitches for his cut. They stayed the night at the hospital for observation to make sure they had no concussion, but they were released the next day.

They later learned that a truck was trying to pass a vehicle in the right lane and didn’t see Boreno’s Model S. As we explained in our first article on the accident, the Model S is a heavy vehicle with a low center of gravity thanks to the battery pack. It is extremely difficult to rollover, which is why it achieved a 5-star rating with a probability of only 5.7% rollover in a high-speed crash, according to NHTSA.

In this case, it means that the impact must have been quite severe.

Like many others, Boreno credited the Model S for saving his and his son’s lives. He said that it was remarkable how “the entire driver’s environment and the passenger side were intact inside” despite impact and rollovers. In the pictures above, you can see that aside from the body damages, the main pillars remain fairly aligned. He said he could still operate the hatch and other functions through the touch screen, which didn’t have a scratch.

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Avatar for Fred Lambert Fred Lambert

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