An investigation into the Tesla car crash in Texas in April has revealed that one of the two victims had a blood-alcohol level that exceeded the legal driving limit.
The crash happened in April, involving a Tesla Model S. The car hit a tree and caught fire, killing two people in the car. No one was found in the driver's seat in.
Investigation Still Under Way
According to the report, William Varner, who was found in the back left passenger seat, had 0.151 g/100mL of ethanol in his blood after his death.
The legal blood alcohol level for driving in Texas is 0.08%.
The cause of Varner's death was "blunt force trauma and thermal injuries with smoke inhalation," the report by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences said, according to Reuters. The police declined to comment on the report, saying the investigation is still under way, the agency said.
Tesla Crashes Involving 11 Deaths
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened 33 investigations into Tesla crashes involving 11 deaths since 2016 in which advanced driver assistance systems are suspected of being used, including the Texas crash.
A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is also probing the Texas crash, said testing showed that the vehicle's automated steering system was "not available" on the road where the accident occurred but the car's cruise-control function could still have been in operation.
Tesla markets its advanced driver assistant system as "Full Self-Driving" capability, but says that those features do not make the vehicle autonomous and require active driver supervision.
(With Reuters Inputs)
