CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A video shows that before a man and a woman died in a crash involving a 2021 Tesla Model 3, the driver was speeding in Coral Gables.
The Sept. 13 video recorded by the dashcam of another vehicle shows the dual motor electric car traveling north on Alhambra Circle.
During the five seconds before the crash, vehicle data showed the maximum recorded speed was 90 mph in a 30 mph zone, according to investigators.
Nicholas Garcia, the driver of the Tesla, beat the red light on Coral Way. After crossing the intersection, there was a hump on the road, according to investigators.
The left front of the car struck a tree, rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise, continued north another 42 feet until the passenger side collided with a second tree, according to investigators.
After the second impact, the car rotated 180 degrees clockwise and came to rest near the second tree. Video shows sparks quickly turned into flames.
Investigators determined the crash damaged the high-voltage lithium-ion battery case and it caught on fire.
The battery reignited at least once while firefighters worked to contain the flames that engulfed the Tesla, according to investigators.
Garcia, the 20-year-old driver, and Jazmine Alcala, a 19-year-old passenger, died. They were near Garcia’s home.
Both the Coral Gables Police Department and The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the crash.