Man and two nine-year-olds die in Western Germany Tesla crash; rescue hampered by door-handle design

A 43-year-old man and two nine-year-old children were killed after a Tesla crashed off a road in Villigst, North Rhine-Westphalia, and burst into flames, authorities said. Police confirmed that all three occupants died inside the vehicle when it collided with a tree following a failed overtaking maneuver.

A local resident attempted to help but was unable to open the doors, according to police spokesman Bernd Pentrop. One child managed to escape and was transported to hospital by helicopter, while the other two occupants were found deceased inside the burning car. Investigators have said they will review the sequence of events to determine the exact cause of the crash and the fire.

The incident highlights ongoing questions about Tesla's door-handle design. Retractable door handles, which some models use, have been reported to fail when the vehicle loses power, preventing door opening from the outside. The German Automobile Association (ADAC) noted that manual opening is possible only from inside the vehicle, which can complicate rescue efforts when a car is on fire or otherwise immobilized. North Rhine-Westphalia’s police department said a specialized team will conduct a full analysis to reconstruct the events and determine why the occupants could not be freed.

The episode aligns with previous reports about door-handle-related entrapment in electric vehicles. Bloomberg News has published findings of several incidents in which passengers were unable to exit after crashes, prompting renewed scrutiny of the safety design. An off-duty firefighter, Max Walsh, recalled a separate incident in which he had to break a window to rescue the driver from a burning Tesla Model Y; he described the challenge of rescuing occupants when door mechanisms failed after a crash.

Tesla, which has faced criticism over door-handle accessibility in emergencies, has said it is reviewing its design. Tesla’s design chief, Franz von Holzhausen, told Bloomberg that the company is considering a redesign of the door handles in response to ongoing safety concerns.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into reports that electronic door handles can become inoperative after a crash, according to Reuters. The agency noted that while the door can be opened manually from the inside, the instructions in the car manual may not be well known to owners. The Daily Mail reported on the broader discussion surrounding door-handle reliability, and Tesla did not have an immediate public comment to provide.

Authorities in Germany said the investigation will focus on reconstructing the crash and the sequence of events leading to the fatal fire. While the cause remains under review, relatives and the public will be watching closely as investigators assess whether design features contributed to the tragedy and what steps may be taken to reduce the risk in future incidents.