Tesla has been quick to post updates on the Model X crash in recent days, saying late Friday that it has been “working as quickly as possible to establish the facts of last week’s accident.”

“Our hearts are with the family and friends who have been affected by this tragedy,” the company said. "The reason this crash was so severe is that the crash attenuator, a highway safety barrier which is designed to reduce the impact into a concrete lane divider, had either been removed or crushed in a prior accident without being replaced," the electric car company wrote. Further, Tesla says the unnamed male driver’s hands were “not detected on the wheel for six seconds prior to the collision,” and that he had received “several” automated warnings to keep his hands on the wheel earlier in the same drive. Image copyright Reuters Image caption The driver of the Tesla Model X died shortly after the crash

Electric carmaker Tesla says a vehicle involved in a fatal crash in California was in Autopilot mode, raising further questions about the safety of self-driving technology.
U.S.-based automobile manufacturer Tesla confirms that one of their Model X cars was placed into Autopilot mode moments before a fatal crash in California, United States. Tesla's Autopilot system is not intended to operate independently and as such the driver is meant to have their hands on the wheel at all times. The recorder of the system logged that the driver did not have their hands on the wheel at the time of the crash.