A rather unfortunate incident occurred when a Tesla Model X was rear-ended by a box truck and then forced into the back of a semi’s trailer.  The box truck, which was being driven by a man with a suspended license, supposedly saw a gap in the Tesla’s lane and attempted to cross at more than 50 mph. However, due to poor weather conditions, the truck slid on the tarmac and hit the rear of the Model X, ramming it forward into the back of the semi-trailer.

The driver of the Model X, Gavin Hornak, blacked out during the crash but awoke to some rather surprising news. The airbags in his car had not deployed.

Gavin’s Model X “crumpled like an accordion” yet thankfully he and his passenger only sustained minor injuries. In fact, the interior of the car remained largely intact as the exterior had absorbed most of the impact. However, Gavin had still hit his head against the steering wheel during the crash and was concussed. Both himself and his passenger had neck and shoulder injuries too. He felt if the airbags had been deployed everyone may have walked away from the incident scratch-free, so therefore he attempted to contact Tesla to inform them of the incident.

Gavin reached out to Tesla via email but got no response. He also called them but the phone rep refused to comment to avoid potentially incriminating Tesla in case the airbags were in fact defective. Wham Bam Teslacam also tried to contact Tesla regarding the airbag issue but received no reply.

Gavin’s insurance company determined his Model X was a total loss and offered him around $25,000 less than what a replacement would truly cost. He turned down this offer, and has since been advised to either sue the trucking company or driver of the box truck to compensate for his injuries and any additional costs insurance will not cover.

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