A Tesla was airborne for more than 20m after hitting a dip on a road, slid for around 60m before crashing into a bank and sliding a further 20m, smashed through a power pole and rolled into a ditch where it caught fire, a serious crash analyst has told a court.
Young Auckland lawyer Shubham Kaur, known as Khushi, was killed in the crash.
Her friend, Saurbh Sharma, 26, was behind the wheel and is defending a charge of careless driving causing her death in a judge-alone trial in the Huntly District Court.
But Sharma鈥檚 counsel Shafraz Khan attempted to pour cold water on serious crash unit analyst Senior Constable Christopher Johnson鈥檚 airborne theory and instead suggested it could have been a period where his client was yet to react to what was happening.
The vehicle鈥檚 electronics and their capability have come under the microscope during the second day of the trial, while further - challenged - detail was revealed from the serious crash report.
Sharma鈥檚 vehicle lost control after hitting a 鈥渄ip鈥 in Dawson Rd, Taupiri, on the afternoon of January 4, 2022.
Johnson talked through his findings, in which he submitted Sharma lost control when he hit the dip, then was likely airborne for about 26m, before slightly arching to the right, then the left, and continuing on a wide slide for more than 60m into an embankment, before sliding another 28m, smashing through a power pole, and rolling to an eventual stop.
The crash brought power lines down which then began crackling. A fire started shortly afterwards, completely destroying the car, its remnants described by one officer as a 鈥渕etal carcass鈥.
Crash analyst Senior Constable Ian Cornelius analysed the gouge and scratch marks from the impact zone on the 鈥渄ip鈥.
He found the Tesla鈥檚 sway bar, a plastic shield that protects the suspension, hit the dip first, along with the three bolts that hold the shield in place, due to the vehicle being compressed 鈥渨ith great pressure鈥.
Defence counsel Shafraz Khan quizzed Cornelius at length about the Tesla鈥檚 technological features, how he came up with his measurements of the gauge marks, even putting to him that a Tesla could be called a 鈥渟mart car鈥.
鈥淲ell they鈥檙e smarter than your older cars, but they鈥檙e electric cars ... they鈥檙e no smarter than a lot of other cars out there.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just that they鈥檙e electric and have a Tesla badge on it that makes it different.鈥
Cornelius cited BMW users鈥 ability to ring Germany to unlock their vehicles for them.
Yesterday, Sergeant Leo Belay described the Tesla鈥檚 remains as a 鈥渕etal carcass鈥.
Today, Senior Constable Johnston detailed the vast amounts of damage caused to the car, and what little remained of it.
Johnston found Sharma lost control of the Tesla after hitting the 鈥渄ip鈥 travelling at more than 100km/h, while noting there were no warning signs of the dip.
The dip and speed were contributing factors in the crash; Sharma losing control of the Tesla was a causative factor.
Saurbh Sharma, of Auckland, outside the Huntly District Court where he is defending a charge of careless driving causing the death of Shubham Kaur, a lawyer from Auckland, on Dawson Rd in Taupiri on January 4, 2022. Photo / Belinda Feek
He was able to track the car鈥檚 movements by using the skid marks, which showed the vehicle going straight.
Sharma told Constable Daniel Zainey at the scene the crash occurred because he swerved to avoid a raccoon.
鈥淎s someone born and raised in New Zealand, I鈥檓 aware that we don鈥檛 have raccoons but it didn鈥檛 seem the time and place to point that out,鈥 Zainey told the court yesterday.
Zainey added Sharma seemed concerned about what was going to happen to him when questioned at the scene after the crash.
鈥淗e said, 鈥榓m I going to jail, what鈥檚 going to happen?鈥 ... he was really concerned,鈥 Zainey said.
Johnston today confirmed the vehicle鈥檚 computer system, or 鈥渂lack box鈥, was destroyed by fire so any critical details it held - including Google Maps travel information - were unable to be confirmed.
While he couldn鈥檛 confirm how fast Sharma was going when he hit the dip, he said if Sharma was going 100km/h he would have come to rest at the power pole - instead of smashing through it, and then rolling to a stop.
However, in cross examination by Khan, he cast doubt over Johnston鈥檚 assessment the car was airborne.
Khan said it could have just been when Sharma was yet to react to the car hitting the dip.
Johnston replied there was still the ability for the car鈥檚 autonomous braking to kick in.
Khan shot back if that was the case, his client wasn鈥檛 in control of the vehicle at the time.
鈥淣o,鈥 Johnston replied.
Khan then put to Johnston that with all the automated controls the Tesla had - autonomous braking, emergency brake assist and YAW, or brake, control - the vehicle could have taken over before Sharma had a chance to do anything.
鈥淵eah, potentially,鈥 Johnston replied.
Khan also put the heat on around the SCU鈥檚 friction testing, whereby vehicle鈥檚 ability to stop suddenly on a piece of road is tested.
He confirmed with Johnston they used a different-sized vehicle to test Dawson Rd, instead of a Tesla.
Johnston said it didn鈥檛 matter what type of vehicle was used.
鈥淏ut weight on tyres affects friction tests,鈥 he asked Johnston.
鈥淐orrect,鈥 Johnston replied.
Divesh Goundar is friends with Kaur, known as 鈥淜hushi鈥, and Sharma.
He described Kaur, who he鈥檇 known for three years, as a 鈥渢alkative, bubbly, loves to have fun, adventurous girl鈥.
The trial, before Judge Glen Marshall, was adjourned, part heard, to recommence at a later date.
Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at 九一星空无限 for nine years and been a journalist for 20.
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