# In Future News....



## KarenRei (Jul 27, 2017)

Just saw sad news in the East Bay Times:

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/07/24/tesla-crushed-driver-killed-ton-concrete/

Of course, my mind immediately jumped to the version we can expect from some of the less scrupulous papers, given that this is a Tesla we're talking about....

*[Moderator Note: The following is SATIRE - not the actual article contents]*

*Tesla crushed, driver killed by 1-ton block of concrete; unclear if Autopilot was engaged*









In this Monday, July 23, 2018 photo, emergency personnel discuss how to defuse the highly flammable battery pack to prevent it from setting fire to the surrounding neighborhood. (Cristina M. Fletes/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

By *BUSINESS INSIDER*
PUBLISHED: July 24, 2018 at 11:00 am | UPDATED: July 24, 2018 at 11:53 am









Officers at the scene discuss what charges to level against the manufacturer and its CEO. (Cristina M. Fletes/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) ​ST. LOUIS (BI) - Authorities say a prominent businesswoman and the wife of a former St. Louis police chief was killed instantly when a 1-ton chunk of concrete fell from a bridge over a roadway and crushed her car - the fifth case of a person dying in a Tesla this year, leading critics to question the safety of the struggling brand's vehicles under the leadership of its increasingly erratic CEO, Elon Musk.

Police on Tuesday identified the victim as Janet Torrisi-Mokwa, 58.

Investigators say Torrisi-Mokwa was driving her Tesla Monday on Forest Park Parkway when a driver lost control on the bridge over the parkway and slammed into the concrete barrier. A large chunk of concrete was dislodged and fell onto Torrisi-Mokwa's car. It is unclear at this point whether Torrisi-Mokwa was using the Autopilot self-driving system, which has been blamed in a string of deaths amid calls from concerned citizens for the product to be banned.

Experts were mixed in their opinion as to whether Autopilot could have contributed to the concrete block falling on the vehicle. "It's possible that the driver did not stop to look above her for falling concrete because she was using Twitter on her smartphone", said one expert who requested not to be named for this article.

The 22-year-old driver of the gasoline-powered car that struck the barrier was only treated for minor injuries.

Torrisi-Mokwa was the founder of Congruence Inc., a leadership advisory firm, and was active with the Humane Society of Missouri. She had been married for 25 years to Joe Mokwa, 68, who was police chief of St. Louis from 2001 to 2008. It is unclear whether her heirs plan to sue Tesla for the loss of their loved one, and if so, whether the company would be able to pay any compensation due to its impeding bankruptcy.

Mokwa learned of the crash when a police commander called him on Monday afternoon. He was then taken to identify his wife's body. Thankfully, unlike in numerous previous accidents involving Tesla vehicles, there was no intense battery fire that could have charred the body beyond recognition - although the possibility that the battery could ignite at a later date remains a serious threat.

*Related Articles*​


*Bicyclist dies, truck flees after hit-and-run collision. Driver possibly Elon Musk?* 

*Richmond man killed in two-car crash (this time not Tesla) identified*

*San Jose: Authorities identify man killed by dump truck possibly full of crushed, unwanted Tesla Model 3 vehicles*.

*One dead in fiery Highway 17 traffic collision - likely to turn out to be a Tesla.*

*One dead in crash that closed Carquinez Bridge. We'll make it Tesla's fault somehow.*


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## MelindaV (Apr 2, 2016)

So now 1 ton blocks of concrete falling from above are being blamed on tesla/autopilot/Elon Musk


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## KarenRei (Jul 27, 2017)

MelindaV said:


> So now 1 ton blocks of concrete falling from above are being blamed on tesla/autopilot/Elon Musk


Apparently I wasn't clear... " the version we can expect from some of the less scrupulous papers".

I guess we're so used to reading "attack news articles" like this that parodying them doesn't even get detected as parody anymore...


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## telero (Aug 3, 2017)

MelindaV said:


> So now 1 ton blocks of concrete falling from above are being blamed on tesla/autopilot/Elon Musk


If you read the original article, then what @KarenRei posted, you'll realize how good she is at satire.


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## MelindaV (Apr 2, 2016)

None the less, why would it even be mentioned in the AP release the car under the concrete was a tesla? The car brand that crashed on the overpass wasn’t mentioned.


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## KarenRei (Jul 27, 2017)

The headline was about Tesla because... well, Tesla :Þ Anything about Tesla gets clicks, particularly if "Tesla" and "crushed" are in the same headline.


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## Toadmanor (Jul 23, 2018)

MelindaV said:


> None the less, why would it even be mentioned in the AP release the car under the concrete was a tesla? The car brand that crashed on the overpass wasn't mentioned.


Actually the car on the overpass was cited as a gasoline powered car...


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## GDN (Oct 30, 2017)

Sorry - but these kinds of posts really throw me off. I'm a decently smart person, but don't always catch satire and parody. I appreciate the post and cynicism after truly realizing it is, but I truly wasn't sure at first with the "Business Insider" left at the top of it. I worry more that someone will pick this up and truly run with it after reading that. Not knocking it - but do think you really need to clearly label it for some of us - Parody/Satire. I know you said "my mind immediately jumped to the version we can expect from some of the less scrupulous papers", but I thought you were letting my mind create that story after reading the real story you were pasting in.

It is not beyond my belief that we have a large number of journalists that would truly write it like that and publish it. We've seen it happen too many times already.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

GDN said:


> Sorry - but these kinds of posts really throw me off.


I've added a moderator note to the OP.


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## KarenRei (Jul 27, 2017)

garsh said:


> I've added a moderator note to the OP.


Thanks, beat me to it.

I guess we've gotten so use to nonsense being spread about Tesla that satire is dead.


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