Tesla Model Y hit by Amtrak train as driver who tried to run the crossing escapes unscathed
Despite having less side airbags than the Shanghai-made Model Y, a US unit was engaged in a collision with a moving Amtrak train in Santa Clara and the driver was able to survive the accident. What seems to be part of the undercarriage with the battery pack and motor was thrown on one side as the Tesla got rear-ended, and the rest of the chassis and bumpers got scattered around as all airbags deployed.
Witnesses say that the Model Y's driver tried to move the falling barrier arm and then to run the crossing before the moving Amtrak train reaches it when the accident occurred. She, however, managed to escape relatively unscathed with only minor injuries which may be a testament to the overall safety rating of Tesla's electric vehicle.
Recently, the Model Y earned top scores in the Euro NCAP vehicle safety ranking tests as it got the impressive 97% score in the Adult Occupant Protection category that saw the dummies cocooned in the plethora of deployed airbags, including one on the far side of the driver's seat that the US models lack. The low center of gravity due to the battery-packed floor also helps prevent rollovers and the undercarriage separation that you can see in the post-accident video below is a case in point.
Debris from the train-hit Model Y damaged several other cars in the vicinity, one of which was actually driven by an EMT who was first on the scene to provide emergency help to the driver. Thankfully, neither she, nor the Amtrak train's passengers, or those in the vehicles that got hit by parts of the Model Y, suffered any serious injuries.
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