Former Navy Seal who became first person to die in a self-driving car was ‘watching Harry Potter when his Tesla smashed into a truck’
Driver Joshua D. Brown had previously posted a near-miss on YouTube involving his Tesla Model S and a truck
THE former Navy Seal who became the first person to die in a self-driving car crash was reportedly watching a Harry Potter film when his Tesla vehicle smashed into a truck.
Joshua D. Brown, 40, from Ohio, died on May 7 in Williston Florida when his Tesla Model S failed to distinguish between the side of a white turning truck and the bright sky meaning the breaks did not automatically activate while in auto-pilot.
Truck driver Frank Baressi, 62, whose vehicle ploughed into Brown's high-tech motor, said the former soldier was "playing Harry Potter on the TV screen" and "he went so fast through my trailer I didn't see him."
He said: "It was still playing when he died and snapped a telephone pole a quarter mile down the road.”
The death in Florida is thought to be the first human fatality in a driverless car and could potentially trigger a recall if the vehicles are found to be unsafe.
Brown died at the scene from injuries sustained in the crash.
There is still no confirmation whether Brown, who died at the scene of the smash, was watching the family movie on a screen in his vehicle or on a mobile device.
Tech company Tesla insist that drivers are not able to watch films or television shows on the car's touchscreen.
The initial police report did not contain any references to the victim watching a film.
Initial reports say that the crash occurred when Baressi’s truck turned left in front of the Tesla at the intersection with no traffic lights.
Firefighters found Brown’s fancy motor hundreds of feet from the crash site with its roof completely seared off.
Emergency services pronounced the former SEAL dead at the scene and respectively covered the wreck before crash investigators arrived.
Tesla said that this is the first known death in over 130 million miles of Autopilot operation.
The innovative company admits the system is an "assist feature" which requires the driver to keep both hands on the wheel at all times.
Drivers are told they need to "maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle" and should be ready to take control at any time.
Brown served as a Navy SEAL for 11 years and also founded wireless internet and camera company Nexu Innovations Inc.
The Pentagon also confirmed the driver’s work with the SEALs and said he left the elite fighting team in 2008.
The former soldier was a huge admirer of Tesla and his 2015 Model S which he nicknamed ‘Tessy’.
Just a month before the crash, he credited Tesla's Autopilot for saving him in a near-miss caught on video.
He wrote: "Tessy did great. I have done a lot of testing with the sensors in the car and the software capabilities.
"I have always been impressed with the car, but I had not tested the car's side collision avoidance. I am VERY impressed. Excellent job Elon!"
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has since opened a "preliminary evaluation" on the company's Autopilot feature.
Elon Musk, product-architect of Tesla Motors, paid tribute to Brown on Twitter.
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Tesla said in a statement it was the first fatality in more than 130 million miles where the autopilot feature had been activated.
The company added the crash had taken place in "extremely rare circumstances."
Their statement reads: "What we know is that the vehicle was on a divided highway with Autopilot engaged when a tractor trailer drove across the highway perpendicular to the Model S.
"Neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied.
"The high ride height of the trailer combined with its positioning across the road and the extremely rare circumstances of the impact caused the Model S to pass under the trailer, with the bottom of the trailer impacting the windshield of the Model S.
"Had the Model S impacted the front or rear of the trailer, even at high speed, its advanced crash safety system would likely have prevented serious injury as it has in numerous other similar incidents."
Tesla launched its Autopilot programme last October, which marked the company's first foray into self-driving technology.
While the Model S tells drivers to keep their hands on the wheel, the car is mostly able to navigate itself in clear highway conditions with sensors keeping track of highway lines and surrounding cars.
The death and subsequent investigation could put a dent in Tesla's shares, already reeling from Musk's proposed acquisition of SolarCity.
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