NTSB looking at Tesla crash into convention center
The National Transportation Safety Board is looking at Wednesday’s crash of a Tesla into the Greater Columbus Convention Center that caused damages estimated at as much as $350,000.
The NTSB has contacted convention center officials about inspecting the crash site, Don Brown, executive director of the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority, which operates the convention center, told The Dispatch.
Columbus police said the crash occurred around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday when a white Tesla that witnesses said was traveling at a high rate of speed eastbound on Vine Street went through a red light at North High Street, struck the curb in front of the Greater Columbus Convention Center and went airborne — launching the vehicle over the top of large concrete planters on the sidewalk that Brown said are designed to stop vehicles from hitting the building.
The Tesla crashed through a glass exterior of the convention center and plowed into an unoccupied meeting room area inside.
A Columbus police crash report states that the driver of the Tesla, 63-year-old Frantz Jules, told police he was unable to slow the vehicle as it hit speeds of 70 mph on a downtown highway, so he exited and smashed into the center.
Jules told police he was driving on Ohio Route 315 when he “lost control of his brakes and was unable to stop,” according to the police report. He exited Route 315 at the Neil Avenue exit, which leads directly onto Vine Street toward a T-intersection and traffic light at North High Street — with the convention center directly in its path.
Three witnesses to the crash, one of whom was stopped at the red light at North High Street, told police the driver of the Tesla appeared to speed up in order to beat a red light. They also said it did not appear he applied brakes before the building was hit.
Jules, who was cited by police for failure to control, was transported in stable condition to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center.
Brown said security video from the convention center shows the Tesla avoided a vehicle that was in its path on Vine Street before it hit the curb, launched several feet into the air, clipped a concrete planter and smashed through a glass wall.
The heavily damaged Tesla was towed to a parking lot operated by Yellow Cab, the crash report said. Yellow Cab officials could not immediately be reached Friday for comment.
The NTSB did not return a call Friday to its Washington, D.C. headquarters. The transportation safety agency has investigated Tesla crashes since 2016, recommending that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration limit use of Tesla’s “autopilot” feature, which allows the car to drive itself — albeit with the driver instructed to pay attention.
The Columbus police report mentions nothing about the self-driving autopilot feature or any other mechanical issue playing a role in the crash.
Despite happening at lunchtime at a busy convention center in what is normally one of the most crowded entertainment and dining areas of Columbus, no injuries were reported inside or outside the center.
But the Franklin County Facilities Authority, which operates the convention center, reported Thursday in a release that extensive damage occurred to the exterior and an interior meeting room from the crash.
The authority estimates $250,000 to $350,000 in damages, including to the drywall, the sprinkler system, power lines, carpeting and wall coverings.
Crews are working to repair the damage and restore the damaged meeting room, the authority said. The damaged area is expected to be usable again in two weeks, though the authority estimates a complete restoration will take three months.
The convention center is currently fully booked, but the authority said the center will be able to make adjustments to accommodate all scheduled events.