Tesla driver dies in first fatal crash while using autopilot mode

The first known death caused by a self-driving car was disclosed by Tesla Motors on Thursday, a development that is sure to cause consumers to second-guess the trust they put in the booming autonomous vehicle industry. The 7 May accident occurred in Williston, Florida, after the driver, Joshua Brown, 40, of Ohio put his Model S into Tesla's autopilot mode, which is able to control the car during highway driving. What happens when Tesla's AutoPilot goes wrong: owners post swerving videos Against a bright spring sky, the car's sensors system failed to distinguish a large white 18-wheel truck and trailer crossing the highway, Tesla said. The car attempted to drive full speed under the trailer, "with the bottom of the trailer impacting the windshield of the Model S", Tesla said in a blogpost. A police report in the Levy County Journal said the top of the vehicle "was torn off by the force of the collision".