(USNewsMag.com) – Three people were killed and three others were injured after their Tesla Model 3 crashed around 2:30 a.m. on May 11th in Pasadena, California.
The single-vehicle crash occurred when the white Tesla, traveling at over 100 mph in a 35-mph zone, struck a curb and became airborne, hitting a power pole and crashing into a wall of a building, according to Pasadena Police Department Lt. Anthony Russo. Russo added that it looked like the car struck the curb when the driver “failed to negotiate a slight curve.”
According to the police, three of the passengers in the back seat were ejected from the vehicle. The driver, Moheb Samuel, 22, and two passengers, Stefan Michael Pfeiffer, 19, and Esrom Fessemaye, who was in his 20s, died at the scene. Two of the three passengers ejected, along with another passenger, were hospitalized and are in serious condition. Two survivors, Bella Ramirez, 18, and Samuel’s sister, 17-year-old Emily, are students at a private Christian school, Maranatha High School. Moheb Samuel was a Maranatha High School 2020 graduate and played on the varsity soccer team, according to information on the school’s website.
Kristian Newquist, whose son, Emerson Newquist, 20, survived the crash, said he is up and talking after suffering a broken arm, broken neck, and other head injuries in the crash.
Russo stated that police investigating the crash are looking into any data recorded by the Tesla at the time of the crash. They are also investigating whether alcohol played a factor in the crash and if Samuel was driving on a suspended license after being charged in September with driving under the influence with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit. According to court records, Samuel’s arraignment and plea hearing were held in March.
According to the city of Pasadena spokesperson Lisa Derderian, the crash left 500 homes without power, adding that power was restored later in the day on May 11th.
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