Tesla crash in Texas with no driver explained years later

Mystery solved.

A fatal Texas crash of a self-driving Tesla in which no one was found behind the steering wheel was likely caused by a speeding and alcohol-impaired driver who lost control — and wound up in the back seat, investigators say.

A report released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board on the fiery April 17, 2021, crackup determined anesthesiologist Dr. Will Varner, 59. who was driving a Tesla Model S, had apparently moved into the back seat after slamming into the front-seat airbag and deforming the steering wheel.

The crash near Houston dominated national headlines and raised questions over Tesla’s driver-assistance programs.

Following the investigation, the NTSB determined the “autopilot” system couldn’t have been used because the crash took place on a street with no lane lines.

The car’s “Traffic-Aware Cruise Control” system could have been used, but it would have only allowed the car to travel a maximum of 30 miles per hour, according to the report.

The 2019 Tesla was going 67 mph seconds before it slammed into a tree, causing the vehicle’s lithium-ion battery to catch fire before setting the whole car ablaze.

The Tesla’s recorded data showed the accelerator moved “consistent with driver activity” in the moments ahead of the accident. The driver’s seat belt was also still intact at the time of the crash.

“Although the driver’s seat was found vacant and the driver was found in the left rear seat, the available evidence suggests that the driver was seated in the driver’s seat at the time of the crash and moved into the rear seat postcrash,” the report said.

The agency concluded excessive speed and failure to control the car due to alcohol impairment were the leading causes of the crackup, which also killed Everett Talbot, 69, who was in the passenger seat.

Varner’s blood-alcohol level was 0.151 grams per deciliter — almost twice the legal limit of 0.08. The report also found two over-the-counter sedating antihistamine medications in the driver’s blood.

Security video taken from Varner’s home showed he and Talbot get into the front seats of the Tesla before driving away. As the car pulled out of the driveway, it left the road on a curve, hit a storm sewer inlet and raised manhole, and brushed against one tree before hitting another, the report said.

An autopsy determined Varner died from blunt force trauma, burns and smoke inhalation; Talbot died from blunt force trauma to the torso and extremities, as well as burns, the report said.

With Post wires