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A word to the wise – if you’re going to commit fraud, don’t do it around a Tesla.
One man has learned the hard way that Teslas come with some pretty nifty gadgets, after being caught in the act of faking a hit and run.
On 3 September 2021 a Louisiana man called police and reported the driver of a Tesla Model 3 had backed into him, causing injuries to his back, leg, and neck. The alleged hit-and-run was apparently serious enough to warrant emergency responses from an ambulance and the local fire brigade.
Police later caught up with the Tesla owner who disputed the claim, insisting the man had intentionally moved behind his car as it was reversing and fell to the ground in an attempt to claim compensation for his injuries.
Unbeknownst to the man accused of the dodgy hit-and-run claim, the Tesla owner had video evidence of the altercation. The Slidell Police Department of Louisiana released footage of the man who claimed to have been injured outside a local petrol station, showing the event was nothing more than an insurance shakedown.
Teslas come fitted with a built-in dash camera that’s always on, and always recording, using the company’s Autopilot cameras. The system also comes with a Sentry Mode that allows the cameras to continue recording even with the vehicle off.
Needless to say, the footage proved the driver’s side of the story and the man was arrested for filing a false police report after admitting to police he had lied about the accident.
As part of the Drive content team, Tom covers automotive news, car reviews, advice, and holds a special interest in long-form feature stories.
He understands that every car buyer is unique and has varying requirements when it comes to buying a new car, but equally, there’s also a loyal subset of Drive audience that loves entertaining enthusiast content.
Tom holds a deep respect for all things automotive no matter the model, priding himself on noticing the subtle things that make each car tick. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t learn something new in an everchanging industry, which is then imparted to the Drive reader base.
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