A Tesla Cybertruck driver is dead after their truck left the road, hit a concrete culvert at considerable speed and burst into flames near the Grand Parkway in the greater Houston area. Texas State troopers are now investigating what happened during the crash that took place in the early morning hours of August 5.
Troops with the Texas Department of Public Safety said the Cybertruck driver was heading west on Cedar Parkway when the truck left the roadway near Fisher Road for unknown reasons, according to KHOU 11. From there, the Cybertruck hit a concrete culvert and was engulfed in flames. It killed the driver, who had not been identified due to the severity of their burns. The license plate and VIN were also destroyed in the fire.
Footage from the scene shows what’s left of the Cybertruck after the flames were extinguished – just a burned-out shell, according to CW 39. DPS is also apparently investigating whether or not Autopilot was engaged during the crash. If I had to guess, it was not, since it sounds like Tesla has yet to roll it or Full Self-Driving out to Cybertruck customers.
Time will tell what happened to make the driver leave the roadway and hit the culvert. For Tesla’s sake, I hope it wasn’t a sticky accelerator that has been recalled for getting stuck in the wide-open-throttle position.
This is a developing story, and Jalopnik will bring you more updates as they become available.