Witness: Driver watched "Harry Potter" as self-driving car crashed

Tesla Driver Killed in First Fatal Auto-Driving Car Crash

The U.S. announced Thursday the first fatality in a wreck involving a car in self-driving mode. The government said it is investigating the design and performance of the system aboard the Tesla Model S sedan. (June 30) AP

Model S with Autopilot engaged.(Photo: Tesla Motors)

The Ohio man who died while using the Autopilot feature on his Tesla electric carwas watching Harry Potter when he was fatally injured in a wreckwhile the car was in self-drive mood, according to a witness.

Joshua Brown, 40, of Canton, Ohio, died from injuries he sustained when a tractor-trailer made a left turn in front of his 2015 Tesla on a highway near Williston, Fla., in May.

The Autopilot system is designed to allow Teslas to cruise along highways without drivers having to steer, brake or accelerate. The car is supposed to stay in its lane and stop suddenly if traffic ahead comes to a halt.

Frank Baressi, 62, the man driving the truck that Browns car collided with,told APthat Brown was playingHarry Potteron the TV screen at the time of the crash.

"It was still playing when he died and snapped a telephone pole a quarter mile down the road," Baressi told AP. Baressi said he couldn"t see the film playing, but heard it.

There were no references to the moviein the police report, AP reported. And Tesla confirmed that it is not possible to watch movies on theModel S touch screen.

Just a month before the fatal accident, Brown posted a video on YouTube of his car using the same "Autopilot" feature to swerve and avoid a side collision.

Brown praised Tessys "Autopilot" feature for swerving as a truck tried to cut him off on an exit ramp.

I actually wasn"t watching that direction and Tessy (the name of my car) was on duty with Autopilot engaged, he said. I became aware of the danger when Tessy alerted me with the "immediately take over" warning chime and the car swerving to the right to avoid the side collision.

Brown wrote that he purchased the vehicle in mid-July of 2015, and was very impressed with the car and auto feature.

Brown was born in Great Lakes, Ill., in 1976 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1997, according to his obituary. He dedicated 11 years to the Navy SEALsand later created his own technology company, Nexu Innovations, Inc., according to his obituary.

Tesla founder Elon Musk tweeted his condolences on Thursday evening.

Follow @MaryBowerman on Twitter.

Contributing: Chris Woodyard

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Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nation-now/2016/07/01/navy-seal-vet-killed-using-teslas-autopilot-posted-close-call-video-month-ago/86592458/