Government launches investigation into deadly Tesla accident on California highway over possible use of automated driver technology

• A Tesla hit a fire truck that was parked and blocking lanes on a California freeway last month.
• The driver was killed, one passenger was hospitalized, and four firefighters were treated for minor injuries.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a special crash investigation into an accident that killed a driver and injured a passenger inside a Tesla Model S when the car collided with a parked fire truck last month.

An NHTSA spokesperson confirmed to Insider that the incident is included in an updated list of investigations examining driving assistance systems used by companies like Tesla, Lexus, and Cadillac. The safety agency has been investigating Tesla's driving systems for month as CEO Elon Musk continues to repeat claims that fully self-driving cars are in the company's future.

At least 15 incidents have been reported involving a Tesla crashing into a stationary emergency vehicle, according to The Associated Press.

Last month's incident involved a 2014 Tesla Model S that hit a fire truck parked diagonally with its lights on, blocking lanes on Interstate 680 as a prior accident on the freeway was still being cleaned up. The driver was pronounced dead on the scene, and a passenger and four firefighters who were in the truck were transported to a hospital, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said.

The passenger was hospitalized, and the firefighters were treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital within a day after the accident, a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District spokesperson told Insider via email at the time.

The spokesperson said the department is conducting its own safety investigation and "assessing the repairability" of the $2.1 million fire truck.

While the highway patrol is conducting an official investigation into the accident, the fire department spokesperson told Insider the Tesla hit the truck "while traveling at highway speeds." The spokesperson said this kind of accident is common as drivers often fail to slow down and move over for fire and law enforcement vehicles stopped on freeways.

The front end of the car was demolished, and had to be cut open to retrieve the people inside, fire officials told the Associated Press. Photos released by the department also show that the fire truck was damaged and towed away from the scene.

A highway patrol officer told the AP at the time that it is unclear what caused the accident, including whether the driver may have been distracted or intoxicated, or whether the Tesla was using any of the car's driving assistance programs.

Tesla did not immediately respond to Insider's requests to comment on the incident.