THE WOODLANDS, Texas – The driver of a Tesla was hospitalized with what authorities are calling significant injuries after crashing into a pole in The Woodlands Sunday night.
The Woodlands Fire Department said it happened at the intersection of Sawdust and Woodland Field Crossing. Firefighters were called to the scene at 9:48 p.m. Sunday night.
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Officials say they received multiple 911 calls of the crash as well as a person trapped inside the vehicle. When they arrived, they found that bystanders had already pulled the driver from the vehicle, which had now caught fire.
Medics were able to stabilize the driver and transported him to a hospital.
After identifying that the vehicle involved was a Tesla, firefighters could see that the battery pack was in thermal runaway.
Firefighters were able to knock down the fire and then used an EV fire blanket to cover the vehicle while simultaneously flowing water from an unmanned hose line to cool the vehicle.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Texas DPS are investigating the crash.