The Texas men who were killed in a fiery crash involving a self-driving Tesla Model S were friends who took the car for a ride after dropping off their wives, officials said.
Dr. Will Varner, 59, and Everett Talbot, 69, both died when the self-driving car crashed into a tree and caught fire Saturday night in The Woodlands, a Houston neighborhood, news channel KTRK reported.
It was believed that neither man was driving at the time of the crash.
Varner, an anesthetist who presumably owned the car, was found in the back seat, while Talbot, who ran a financial company, was in the passenger seat, the Daily Mail reported.
“We are going through hell right now. As his daughter, I asked everyone to wait for the investigation to be completed, ”Talbot’s daughter told the outlet.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have said they will send teams to investigate the deadly crash.
Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said officials “are very confident in the positioning of the bodies after the collision that no one was driving in that vehicle,” news channel KHOU reported.
But Tesla CEO Elon Musk denied on Twitter on Monday that the car was on autopilot.
“Datalogs recovered so far show that Autopilot was not engaged and this car did not purchase FSD”, he said, referring to premium Full Service driving software, which costs $ 10,000.
“Plus, standard Autopilot would require lane lines to turn on, which this street didn’t have,” he added.
The fatal crash occurred on Saturday, just after the men dropped their wives off at a house in the spring and left in the car for a test drive, KTRK reported.
Varner was recalled in a statement by his employer, Memorial Hermann.
“Dr. Varner was a wonderful person who has personally influenced many in our family Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center over the years,” said KTRK’s statement.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of his family, as well as those who have had the privilege of working and serving alongside him in various capacities. He will be greatly missed by so many. “
