Tesla drives owner to hospital on auto pilot mode, saves life

Even as Tesla’s Auto Pilot driver assist system is under scrutiny following the Model S’ fatal crash in the US, the drive assist system has proved its worthiness by saving a Tesla Model X owner from a potentially life-threatening medical emergency.

Joshua Neally, a resident of Springfield, Missouri, was driving back from his office when he suffered from pulmonary embolism, a condition of obstruction of blood vessels in the lungs which could potentially be fatal.

Neally experienced a piercing pain in his stomach and chest. Instead of parking his car and waiting for the ambulance to arrive, he made a quick decision to leave his fate in the hands of his electric crossover’s Auto Pilot system. He commanded his car’s Auto Pilot mode to take him to the nearest hospital.

Roughly 20 miles (32 km) later, the Model X took Neally to a road leading to a hospital’s emergency department. He then parked the car manually and checked himself into the hospital. Now the owner is out of danger but the doctors say that he was lucky to survive the health scare while driving.

Obviously, Joshua Neally is extremely happy about his car’s semi-autonomous capabilities that helped him receive medical attention as quick as possible.

Reacting to accidents that were caused by alleged malfunctioning of Auto Pilot, Tesla Motors earlier stated that drivers are ultimately responsible for the vehicle’s actions and the system only aims to eliminate driver errors. Neally’s experience adds gravity to Tesla’s claim that the Auto Pilot helps improve safety.

This article first appeared on Rushlane.com