As an investigation continues into the fatal crash of a Tesla north of Houston that killed two men, Tesla is assisting, according to a statement by Harris County Constable Precinct 4 Mark Herman’s office.
“Constable investigators are currently working with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Tesla, who is helping with our investigation,” according to the short statement released Tuesday afternoon.
The office said it would not be making more statements as the investigation continues.
Earlier reports indicated investigators had not heard from Tesla directly or CEO Elon Musk about data logs recovered from the crashed Tesla.
The constable’s statement on Tuesday apparently indicates Tesla is cooperating, including by apparently responding to a search warrant for information.
Musk had tweeted earlier, late Monday, “Data logs recovered so far show Autopilot was not enabled,” adding that the car did not have the upgraded version of Tesla’s driver-assistance system that it calls “full self-driving.” Autopilot requires lane lines to turn on, but the street where the accident occurred did not have any, he added.
Tesla did not respond to a request for further comment, but Musk tweeted on Saturday that when Autopilot is engaged there is a 10 times lowered chance of an accident than with an average vehicle. Autopilot enables a car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically with its lane. A driver must be in an active driver supervision mode for the function to work, but the crash investigation found one man in the front passenger seat and the other in the rear seat.
RELATED: Deadly Tesla crash furthers Autopilot and EV battery fire concerns
In addition to concerns about the Autopilot’s function at the time of the crash being pursued by NHTSA, NTSB is looking into the fire that resulted from the crash, and the four hours it took first responders to put it out. NTSB issued a report last year noting that high voltage lithium-ion batteries used in EVs, including Teslas, can reignite after being damaged, even after firefighters extinguish a blaze.
NHTSA has initiated more 27 investigations into crashes involving Tesla vehicles and 23 remain active in crashes believed to have been tied to Autopilot use, according to Reuters.
Saturday’s deadly crash into a tree attracted the attention of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D- Conn., who tweeted, “using Tesla’s driverless system—or any other—shouldn’t be a death risk. Advancements in driving technology must first & foremost be safe.”