A Tesla driver claims his brakes failed moments before he crashed into a Ohio convention center where young girls were competing in a volleyball tournament.
The 2020 Model S driver was reportedly travelling at 70mph down Route 315 when he took the Vine Street exit and lost control near the High Street intersection in Columbus, Ohio on May 4.
Frightening surveillance footage of the lunchtime crash shows the vehicle plowing through the Greater Columbus Convention Center, where a junior volleyball tournament was being held.
The driver told police he could not break after exiting the highway onto Vine Street where the speed limit is 30mph, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
It is unclear if the driver was using autopilot.
Witnesses, however, gave WBNS 10 a different account of the crash.
One witness, who was standing on a the sidewalk, said the driver appeared to increase speed while attempting to make a yellow light, while another said they did spot the brake lights flash as the car headed toward the convention center.
Another witness, who was stopped at right light on High Street, also agreed they didn’t notice the driver’s brake lights go on.
Although it unclear if the driver was using autopilot, Tesla estimated only one crash per 4.31million miles on autopilot.
Surveillance footage shows the car crossing the intersection at high-speeds, slamming into the corner of the convention entre, glass shattering and metal falling to the ground.
Video of the crash shows the white car slamming into a large basin of potted plants before jumping a small staircase and ramming the building.
Inside surveillance shows the luxury car spinning out of control, hitting a thick support beam so hard it caused the vehicle to turn backward and taking out half out of the front end of the car.
Little girls and their mothers attending a junior volleyball championships can been seen running toward the crash to see what happened.
No one inside the building was injured and the driver was taken to Grant Medical Center where he was said to be in stable condition.
He was cited with failure to control his vehicle.
Construction workers and fireman were seen working on the building later, and video footage shows a huge hole.
The convention center estimates it will cost between $250,000 and $300,000 to fix the building.