Father of Tesla Driver Who Died in Indianapolis Crash Blames the Car’s Performance for her Death
Jon Speckman says he blames the electric automaker for his daughter’s death last November—even though her blood alcohol level was reportedly almost three times the legal limit.
Last November, two people were killed after crashing a Tesla Model S in Indiana—Casey Speckman, 27, and her boss, Kevin McCarthy, 44. Details have been relatively scarce since it happened, but last week The Indianapolis Star reported that both occupants were both drunk at the time of the crash. Speckman's BAC was reportedly at 0.21 percent, almost three times as high as Indiana's legal limit, and McCarthy's was reportedly 0.17 percent.
Another detail that was released about the crash reveals that Speckman, who was behind the wheel at the time of the crash, may have crashed the Tesla in an attempt to avoid hitting a car traveling the wrong way down the one-way street where the car crash occurred. Security footage from a CCTV at a nearby White Castle shows a car moving down the street of the crash before Speckman zooms past it.
But Speckman's father, Jon Speckman, is blaming Tesla—more specifically, the Model S's extreme performance. In an interview with The Indianapolis Star, Speckman said, "Had she been in another vehicle, she would have been alive for me to yell at her for driving after drinking."
Tesla Model S "is like a rocket ship"
"This is a vehicle that travels from 0 to 60 in 3.1 seconds," he added. "She's clearly having to swerve to miss a vehicle going the wrong way on a one-way street. If her foot should happen to hit the accelerator, it's like a rocket ship. I don't know why they have to make a car that does that."
While Speckman has apparently hired an attorney, it's not yet known if he will proceed with legal options against Tesla.
