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3 Piedmont High graduates die in fiery Cybertruck crash, sources say

Vaseline November 28, 2024

Three Piedmont High graduates die in fiery Tesla Cybertruck crash

Three 2023 graduates of Piedmont High School died when their Tesla Cybertruck crashed into a tree and wall and burst into flames.

PIEDMONT, California. – Three people died early Wednesday and one person was taken to the hospital in a fiery Cybertruck crash in Piedmont the day before Thanksgiving.

Two sources told KTVU that all four were 2023 graduates of Piedmont High. Two of the victims who died were men and a third was a woman.

A steady stream of well-wishers, friends and residents paid their respects at the crash site on Wednesday. Many were in tears as they hugged and comforted each other.

Stacy Martin broke down in tears at the scene when she heard about the victims, some of whom she had taught in high school — and one in elementary school.

“So terrible,” Martin said. “They all have great families.”

She added: “Knowing them only makes it worse. But I can’t imagine it for their parents and their siblings,” she said, crying.

Police Chief Jeremy Bowers did not immediately provide details about the victims.

But he did outline what happened from 3.08am when police were first alerted to the tragic scene.

When officers arrived at Hampton Road and King Avenue, they found a Cybertruck fully engulfed in flames.

Bowers said emergency crews tried to put out the fire with fire extinguishers, but the intensity of the flames was too hot.

It’s not clear what happened to the Cybertruck or what it crashed into, although Bowers said speed was likely one of the contributing factors.

The Cybertruck became stuck between a tree and a retaining wall.

Bowers said a young man had been following the Cybertruck — it was unclear what his relationship was to the four in the car — and that when it veered off the road, he got out of his own car to try to get one of the people out of the car to pull. .

That man was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, Bowers said, and the other three people were pronounced dead.

Bowers said it is possible that the young man and the four in the Cybertruck had been at an event together beforehand.

“The solo vehicle that was involved in the crash, there was another vehicle coming from behind it that followed and came upon the vehicle when it was completely engulfed,” Bowers said. “The person got out of the car and was able to pull the person out, but the vehicle was a Cybertruck and the heat was just too intense.”

A short time later, two adults came to hug the young man, who appeared to be in his twenties.

Piedmont police and fire departments, as well as the California Highway Patrol, responded to the scene. The CHP investigates all fatalities in Piedmont.

No further details were immediately provided. Bowers has not released victim information out of respect for their families.

“This is just a tragic loss of life,” Bowers said. “We do not know the cause of the collision and over the festive period our thoughts are with the families who will be affected by this tragedy.”