More bad news for Tesla -- somebody driving one of their vehicles died this weekend after crashing into a firetruck ... and happened to be in the same model that's now facing a recall.
The accident happened Saturday in Walnut Creek, CA -- where officials say a Tesla Model S plowed into a fire engine that was blocking off a freeway to cover another crew that was clearing a separate accident on I-680. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and a passenger in the car as well was transported to a hospital ... their condition is unknown.
Photos taken from the crash site show the Tesla completely crushed, and the truck was severely damaged as well. A few firefighters who were on the truck suffered minor injuries.
Law enforcement says it's unclear if the driver was under the influence or if they were using a self-driving feature. If it's discovered the driver was, in fact, using the autopilot -- which has since come under major scrutiny -- it could spell more trouble for the EV company.
Tesla is currently under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration -- which is looking into how their automated driving system works in response to emergency vehicles on the road ... this after at least 14 crashes under very similar circumstances.
There've been reports of other Tesla crashes as well in recent months -- and the self-driving feature has been suspected to be, in part, part of the reason. As a result, Tesla announced Thursday it was yanking several of its vehicles -- upwards of 363,000 -- off the market due to potential problems with their self-driving. The Model S was also included in the recall.