[bobflorian]

I agree, the handles on the Model S are a little too over engineered, but what prevented the first responder from breaking a window? How is this different than the doors just being locked? I own a Model 3, and the lever handles still wouldn't have opened when the car is locked.

[_ea1k]

I worry about this with the trend of using more laminated glass that is really difficult to break.

But this Model S is very unlikely to have had that, and it sounds like there was a policeman on the scene. Surely the officer would have access to something that he could have used to break the glass? I've read a few articles about this lawsuit and I have yet to see a clear answer as to why that wasn't the solution.

It makes me wonder if the "doors wouldn't open" part is just a spurious claim and the lawsuit is really about the post-crash fire.

[jonplackett]

Yeah you wouldn't want this to happen in the CyberTruck!

[_ea1k]

Also the front doors on the current 3 & Y.

[orangepanda]

> what prevented the first responder from breaking a window?

First responders werent paramedics or firefighters. You'd expect a random bystander to risk their life breaking into a flaming car?

[RandomNick]

According to the article it wasn't just random bystanders, it was a police officer.

"But Awan survived the crash, and he could have escaped the smoke and fire, too, Grossman said — if only the police officer who arrived on the scene could have opened the car’s doors."

[JoeAltmaier]

Yes. Normal humans have empathy.

[vntok]

Having empathy means feeling sorry and sad for the person you see currently trapped in the burning car.

[JoeAltmaier]

'Sorry' and 'sad' are intellectual things. They can be understood by a sociopath who sees that its horrible, without feeling anything.

Burning to death is such a horrible way to go, what empathetic person could resist trying to help?

[JoeAltmaier]

Hey, one of my Scouts did this - rescued a family from a burning car. Because he had the wit to do it, while others stood on the sidelines. Probably because he'd been actually trained in taking quick action, in leading by example. He was 16.

So I can see that folks may be paralyzed by indecision, even by the intensity of their feelings. Ok, 'normal' people want to help but probably don't because of a lifetime of holding back.

[bloak]

I might, but I'd perhaps be more likely to risk my life saving someone from a Citroën 2CV or a VW Beetle. I'm only half joking. There is a real tendency to judge other people by what kind of car they're in and the decision whether to approach a burning car is likely to be made quickly rather than through careful application of logic.

If you regularly drive more than one kind of car you might notice that other road users treat you quite differently depending on which one you're driving.