(LAKE STEVENS, Wash.) A Snohomish County deputy’s patrol car sustained significant damage over the weekend after a Tesla in autopilot smashed into the vehicle, KATU reports.
On Saturday, the deputy had responded to the 25200 block of 103rd Avenue NE after a vehicle had hit a power pole and sheared it in half.
Once at the scene, the deputy parked on the side of the road and left the emergency lights on the car flashing. He got out of the vehicle to talk to fire crews on scene.
Around 30 seconds after he'd parked the car, a Tesla in autopilot mode crashed into the deputy’s vehicle. The crash heavily damaged the front driver’s side of the car.
Sheriff’s officials said no one was injured in the crash, but it could have been worse.
“This is a great reminder that vehicles may have autopilot to assist, but it cannot be relied upon to get you safely from one destination to the next,” the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said.