Log In

CHP says impaired driving, speed led to deadly Piedmont Cybertruck crash - CBS San Francisco

Published 2 weeks ago2 minute read

/ CBS San Francisco

Mother of Piedmont Cybertruck crash survivor identifies victims

Mother of Piedmont Cybertruck crash survivor identifies victims 03:26

The California Highway Patrol investigation into the tragic and fiery crash of a Cybertruck in Piedmont late last November that killed three young people was caused by "a combination of driving under the influence of drugs and unsafe speed."

Piedmont Cybertruck crash victims
Piedmont Cybertruck crash victims (L-R) Jack Nelson, Krysta Tsukahara and Soren Dixon. KPIX

CHP investigators have been the lead investigators on the Nov. 27, 2024, fatal Tesla Cybertruck collision on Hampton Road and King Avenue that killed 19-year-old driver Soren Dixon and the two passengers 19-year-old Krysta Tsukahara, and 20-year-old Jack Nelson. 

Piedmont police were initially notified of the incident by an iPhone alert that came from a device inside the vehicle before receiving calls from neighbors. 

Officers arrived at the scene and saw the Cybertruck had crashed into a tree and had caught fire. Three people inside the vehicle died in the collision, while a fourth passenger, later identified by family as Jordan Miller, was taken to the hospital. The four young people were home from college for the Thanksgiving holiday and at a gathering of friends earlier in the evening.

According to the crash report released by the CHP on Friday, "officers determined that a combination of driving under the influence of drugs and unsafe speed were the causes of this crash."

More specifically, CHP said that a combination of Dixon's alcohol intoxication and drug impairment with the unsafe speed of the vehicle led the driver unable to negotiate the curve of the road, leading to the fatal collision.      

Earlier this month, the Alameda County Coroner's Office released a report confirming that Dixon, the 19-year-old suspected of being behind the wheel in the crash, had drugs and alcohol in his system, as did the two passengers who were killed. 

The toxicology report stated that Dixon, Tsukahara and Nelson all had alcohol and cocaine in their systems. Dixon also had meth in his system, according to the report.

The coroner's report said the cause of death for all three as asphyxia due to inhalation of products of combustion. 

Dave Pehling

Dave Pehling is website managing editor for CBS Bay Area. He started his journalism career doing freelance writing about music in the late 1990s, eventually working as a web writer, editor and producer for KTVU.com in 2003. He began his role with CBS Bay Area in 2015.

Origin:
publisher logo
CBS News
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

You may also like...