Elon Musk has long boasted about the ‘superior strength and endurance’ of Tesla’s Cybertruck, and the first accident of the new electric vehicle may prove it.
The California Highway Patrol was called to a scene in Palo Alto on Thursday due to an accident involving the futuristic truck and a Toyota Corolla.
The Japanese-made vehicle was demolished in the woods while the Cybertruck sat on the road with minor dents.
The accident happened when the Toyota driver turned right and struck a dirt patch in the embankment that sent it back onto the road and into the opposite lane – hitting the Cybertruck.
‘It does not appear that the Tesla Cybertruck was being operated in autonomous mode,’ the police report states, noting that only the Tesla driver sustained a suspected minor injury and declined medical transportation.
The California Highway Patrol was called to a scene in Palo Alto on Thursday due to an accident involving the futuristic truck and a Toyota Corolla
According to the California Highway Patrol’s preliminary investigation that was shared with The Autopian:'[The] Corolla was traveling south on SR-35 [Skyline Boulevard] southbound, south of Page Mill Road, at an unknown speed, when the driver, for unknown reasons, turned to the right and subsequently struck a dirt embankment on the right shoulder.’
While exactly why the Toyota driver made a random right turn is unclear, reports state that conditions were wet and cloudy.
The Verge also reported that the driver was 17 years old.
The police statement also noted that a Tesla engineer from San Francisco was driving the Cybertruck, but the vehicle had Texas plates.
The Japanese-made vehicle was demolished in the woods. No major injuries were reported
The Cybertruck sat on the road with minor dents. A Tesla engineer was driving the EV, according to the police report
Reddit user boddhya shared they first saw the Cybertruck lying between the two lanes and thought it had skidded off the road
Another driver cruising down the same street passed by the accident and shared pictures of the vehicles on Reddit.
Reddit user boddhya shared they first saw the Cybertruck lying between the two lanes and thought it had skidded off the road.
‘So I started speeding.. that’s when I encountered the Corolla on the upcoming side of the road..neatly tucked away to sleep.. that was the real whoa moment, and I slowed again.. but I had traffic behind me..so I couldn’t stop. So, there was some gap between the truck and the Corolla. Obviously, there was no tow help yet as the scene was fresh,’ reads the post.
The bystander also noted that the incident occurred at 2:05 pm PT on Skyline Boulevard, roughly half a mile from the intersection with Page Mill Road.
‘Authorities were notified of the crash by an automatic text message after the collision, with a Midpeninsula Ranger attending the scene of the incident,’ the shared.
Musk has touted the Cybertruck as being ‘indestructible,’ putting it to the test in several demonstrations that included being shot a Tommy gun, a 45- and nine-millimeter gun.
The Tesla CEO recently challenged Joe Rogan to attempt to puncture the side of the vehicle with an arrow.
‘Can I shoot it with an arrow? I bet I can get in there,’ Rogan said during the 2,054th episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.
Musk replied with a slight laugh: ‘Yeah, it will be fine.’ And then bet Rogan one dollar he could not penetrate the exterior.
Following the podcast, the men tested Rogan’s request in a warehouse, ending with the tip of the arrow being smashed against the Cybertruck.