COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Surveillance video from the Greater Columbus Convention Center captured the moment when a Tesla crashed into the building last week.
The video above shows three different angles of the crash, including from inside the convention center. The car, identified in a Columbus police accident report as a 2020 Tesla Model S and owned by Columbus Green Cabs Inc., can be seen hitting a planter before slamming through a glass entranceway into the building. About 20 seconds later, the video shows some witnesses running toward the site of the crash.
The driver told police he was driving on May 4 on SR-315 when he lost control of the car’s brakes. He exited onto Neil Avenue going 70 miles per hour, according to a police report. The Tesla then drove through a red light at Vine Street and North High Street before running into the center.
Three witnesses at the scene told police they saw the car appear to speed up in order to make it through a yellow traffic light and not appear to slow down before hitting the building, according to a Columbus police accident report. Police cited the driver for failure to control a vehicle.
A spokesperson for the convention center said the crash did between $250,000 and $350,000 in damage to both the interior and exterior of the building, including drywall, the sprinkler system, power lines, carpeting, and wall coverings.