Tesla Model X Crash Involving Actor Jimmy Lin Chih-ying Draws Attention in China

A Tesla Model X car driven by a Taiwanese celebrity crashed into a pole in the city of Taoyuan in Taiwan on Friday after suddenly deviating from the road, injuring the actor and his son.

Tesla Crash Involving Well-Known Actor Draws Attention in China (REUTERS)

A Tesla Model X car driven by a Taiwanese celebrity crashed into a pole in the city of Taoyuan in Taiwan on Friday after suddenly deviating from the road, injuring the actor and his son.

The entire front of the electric car was ruined and badly burnt, footage of the accident that was circulating circulated online showed. According to local media reports, police suspect driver Jimmy Lin Chih-ying was at fault, although that is still being investigated.

Tesla representatives in China declined to comment.

Lin, a beloved Taiwanese singer and actor who also races cars, suffered extensive head and shoulder injuries and his son was also taken to hospital. A hashtag for the accident had received at least 950 million views as of late Friday in Asia on China's Twitter-like Weibo.

Tesla crashes in China are generally high profile events, often documented and shared extensively on social media. The US electric carmaker has come under criticism in the world's largest car market for the safety of its vehicles, with things coming to a head at least year's Shanghai Auto Show, when footage of an angry customer protesting atop one of its display cars went viral.

Safety concerns have been raised outside of China too. Earlier this year, the US National Transportation Safety Board found that the Autopilot function couldn't be operated on a Tesla Model S, leading to two deaths in a crash in Texas.