A fourth victim remains in the
hospital with critical injuries.
By KGO via CNN Newsource
PIEDMONT, Calif. (KGO) - A California community came together to
remember three college students home for Thanksgiving who were killed in
a fiery Tesla Cybertruck crash. A fourth student remains in the hospital
with critical injuries.
Hundreds of people attended a Friday night vigil at Piedmont Park in
honor of Soren Dixon, Krysta Tsukahara and Jack Nelson. All of them were
college students home for the Thanksgiving holiday who were killed when
a Cybertruck crashed early Wednesday morning.
Dixon attended the University of Southern California, Tsukahara attended
the Savannah College of Art and Design and Nelson attended the
University of Colorado Boulder.
Police say the truck jumped the curb, hit a cement wall and got wedged
between the wall and a tree before bursting into flames.
A fourth victim, who has not been identified, was pulled from the
burning truck by a driver who witnessed the crash. He remains in the
hospital in critical condition.
“For this to happen the day before Thanksgiving, nobody could imagine,”
said Mehrad Malekpour, a Piedmont High School student. “Piedmont is a
very close and tightknit community, and everyone knows each other. It’s
almost like a family.”
The victims were recent graduates of Piedmont High. Malekpour didn’t
know them personally but says he attended the vigil to show his support.
Shay Ottaviano was a freshman at the school when the victims were
seniors. She says she knows the student who survived the crash.
“It’s tragic. I actually knew him. He is so sweet, always a delight to
be around, always brings a smile to your face,” she said.
The three college students were home for Thanksgiving when they were
killed in a fiery Tesla Cybertruck crash. (KGO via CNN)
Authorities are still
investigating the crash, but they believe the driver may have been going
too fast. The police chief says part of the investigation will be to
determine if drugs or alcohol were involved.
Brian Molyneaux has two kids who knew the students who were killed. He
wanted to be at the vigil for the families hit hard by the tragedy.
“The community is strong. People are strong for each other here. I hope that somehow me in my small way can provide some solace, and I hope that others can do the same for the families,” he said.
Officials say there are no indications the truck had mechanical issues; though they are still trying to determine how it caught fire.
The Cybertruck, which has been on sale for about a year, has been recalled six times for safety problems, most recently on Nov. 5, the Associated Press reports.
