Crash sends Tesla batteries flying into homes, sparking a house fire, Oregon cops say

A driver lost control of his Tesla and the crash caused pieces of battery to go flying into two homes, Oregon police said.

A driver going 100 mph drove off the road Tuesday and destroyed a power pole “as well as striking and knocking over two trees and a telephone junction box,” the Corvallis Police Department said.

“The damage from the collision caused the batteries from the Tesla to enter two different residences by breaking through the windows, one landing on a person’s lap and the second landing on a bed, catching the bedding on fire,” police said.

A tire from the car also slammed into an apartment building and ruptured water pipes within the wall and destroyed the bathroom, police said. Parts of the apartment also flooded.

The driver, identified as Dylan Milota, fled the crash and was found three blocks away, police said. He was accused of being impaired from marijuana and was cited on charges of DUII - drugs, hit and run, criminal mischief, reckless driving and reckless endangering, according to the Corvallis Police Department.

This story was originally published November 19, 2020 at 8:34 PM with the headline "Crash sends Tesla batteries flying into homes, sparking a house fire, Oregon cops say."