Feds to investigate Tesla crash with parked semi that left two dead at Florida rest area

A federal automotive safety agency has opened an investigation into a fatal crash involving a Tesla that left two people dead in Florida last week.

On Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirmed that a Special Crash Investigations team was deployed in the wake of a crash that occurred around 2 p.m. on July 6 near Gainesville, Florida.

According to FHP, a 66 year old female driver was behind the wheel of a 2015 Tesla traveling southbound on I-75 at mile marker 382, when, for unknown reasons, the Tesla left the interstate and crashed into the trailer of a truck parked at the Paynes Prairie Rest Area.

Both the Tesla driver and a 67 year old male passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver, a 58 year old Florida resident, was not injured.

The NHTSA probe will look into whether any driver assist features like Autopilot were active on the Tesla when the fatal crash occurred.

According to Reuters, the NHTSA has opened 36 Special Crash Investigations since 2016 involving Tesla vehicles in which advanced driver assistance features like Autopilot were suspected of being in use. Seventeen deaths occurred as a result of the 36 crashes under NHTSA investigation, the outlet reports.