Here's the first Tesla Cybertruck crash on a public road

The Tesla Cybertruck is officially here and on sale, and now it’s also been through its first public crash. Through pictures initially posted online by Reddit user Boddhya and reporting by The Autopian, we have the details on what went down for the incident between a Cybertruck and a Toyota Corolla.

A description of the incident was initially provided to The Autopian by the California Highway Patrol.

“On December 28, 2023 at approximately 2:05 pm, CHP Redwood City units were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash on SR-35 (Skyline Boulevard), south of Page Mill Road. Our preliminary investigation indicates a Toyota Corolla was traveling south on SR-35 southbound, south of Page Mill Road, at an unknown speed, when the driver, for unknown reasons, turned to the right and subsequently struck a dirt embankment on the right shoulder. The Toyota then re-entered the roadway, crossed over the double yellow lines into the northbound lane, and crashed into a Tesla Cybertruck traveling north on SR-35 northbound.”

BREAKING: A Cybertruck was involved in a head-on collision today on CA-17.

I hope both parties are okay. pic.twitter.com/87iX7d2uEC

— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) December 29, 2023

There was only one injury reported from the scene, as the driver of the Cybertruck had a “complaint of pain.” The CHP classified it as “a suspected minor injury,” and the driver declined medical transport from the scene. The two other passengers in the Cybertruck were not injured, nor was the driver of the Corolla, a 17-year-old as reported by The Verge, that hit the Tesla.

Also of note, The Autopian obtained information that suggests the driver of the Cybertruck was a San Francisco-based Tesla engineer. The Cybertruck was wearing Texas plates but registered to an address in Palo Alto, so this truck could be a company vehicle and not one of the initial batch of production vehicles already delivered to customers.

Cybertruck crash

What the photographer, Reddit user boddhya, says:

”Lemme recap. I was headed towards Saratoga.. from Russian Ridge. Saw the truck blocking the right side and also completely blocking the view of the upcoming turnout..and then the officer made us go on the… pic.twitter.com/dkL1DiAiHq

— Marisol Marquez (@marisol_marquez) December 29, 2023

The photo of the Cybertruck from the passenger side shows almost no damage, but a subsequent photo posted to Twitter shows the impact to the Cybertruck on the driver's side. The airbags deployed, and we can see fairly significant damage to the rear fender and rear door area – the charge port looks especially mangled in the photo. 

Additionally, a YouTube video showing dashcam footage from a car driving by the wreckage gives even more context, as the front driver-side door and front fender of the Cybertruck appears to be intact and didn’t suffer much damage. Judging the wreck by these photos, it looks like the Corolla made contact with the Cybertruck toward its rear.

We’ll update this post if and when additional information about the wreck surfaces.