FONTANA – (INT) – In a preliminary report, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) says a Tesla Model 3 was on autopilot when the car crashed into a big rig in Fontana earlier this month killing the driver.

In an updated statement Friday from CHP headquarters, the patrol said it has “not made a final determination as to what mode the Tesla was in or if its was a contributing factor to the crash.”

The CHP does not usually comment on incomplete investigations, but it said in an earlier statement Thursday that because of the high level of interest in crashes involving Tesla vehicles, “We want to remind the public that driving is a complex task that requires a driver’s full attention.”

It said that regardless of the type of vehicle, drivers must remain alert “and put to an end these types of tragic crashes.”

The coroner reported that Steven Michael Hendrickson, 35, of Running Springs was killed when his sedan crashed into a tractor-trailer that had overturned on the 210 freeway near Citrus Avenue in the early morning of May 5th.

Story Date: May 20, 2021