RCMP in Richmond, B.C., say they don’t believe the driver of a Tesla that seriously injured a woman when it crashed into a restaurant on Friday was impaired.
The collision happened just before 11 a.m. at the Chung Chun Rice Hot Dog restaurant at No. 3 Road and Westminster Highway.
“That is a particularly busy intersection in downtown Richmond,” RCMP Cpl. Dennis Hwang said.
Footage from the scene showed the electric vehicle with an ‘N’ decal on the back smashed through the business’s entryway.
Police said a 46-year-old Burnaby woman, who was inside the restaurant at the time, suffered injuries initially assessed as critical.
She was rushed to hospital and is now expected to survive, Hwang said.
“She is doing better, which is good,” he said Monday.
The driver of the Tesla, a 20-year-old with a novice driver’s licence, was uninjured, he added.
“Neither alcohol nor drugs are considered factors in this collision,” Hwang said.
Investigators are still probing what went wrong in the crash, including driver experience, driver error and possible technical and mechanical problems with the vehicle.
Police have impounded the Tesla, and any video it recorded will be a component of the investigation, Hwang said.
Richmond RCMP and the Criminal Collision Investigation Team are leading the file.
Anyone with information or video relevant to the investigation is asked to contact Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212.