An electric vehicle nearly proved to be an actual death trap for one collegiate basketball recruit.
Alijah Arenas — son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas — found himself in panic mode last April after his Tesla Cybertruck smashed into a tree.
After being disoriented temporarily in the crash, Arenas awoke to find a nightmare scenario, according to an ESPN report.
Fire filled the passenger-side dashboard. He tried to use his digital key to unlock the doors, but the app locked him out.
“I tried to open the door, and the door wasn’t opening,” he said.
Arenas was stuck inside a burning vehicle, facing the serious prospect of death.
He jumped in the back seat, pouring the contents of a water bottle on himself to stay cool as he tried to break out the passenger window.
“I was fighting time,” he said.
Do you consider EVs safe?
He spent an excruciating 10 minutes in the Cybertruck before he was finally able to break the driver-side window.
He fell into a pool of water that had been created from a nearby fire hydrant.
Arenas spent six days in the hospital, part of that time in an induced coma, but thankfully did not sustain any serious injuries.
Alijah Arenas is speaking out publicly for the first time about his serious car crash.
Details HERE: https://t.co/ztTIsmtnK5 pic.twitter.com/yMtm0jBgUj
— TMZ (@TMZ) June 25, 2025
TMZ said Arenas talked about the accident at a Tuesday news conference.
The 18-year-old indicated that the accident happened when the steering wheel stopped responding normally.
“The wheel wasn’t moving as easy as it should, and me noticing the keypad wasn’t on, it was kinda just like weirding me out,” he said.
“I switched lanes without meaning to … so I thought about, wait, something is wrong. Next thing you know, I can’t get back to the left lane.”
Moments later, he hit the tree.
“Good Samaritans in the neighborhood pulled Arenas from the car … and he said he met them personally to thank them for saving his life,” TMZ reported.
Add this disaster to the list of problems with EVs.
Safety is paramount for drivers, but these vehicles have also given problems to emergency responders.
EV lithium-ion batteries burn longer when fires start, producing toxic fumes and requiring more water to extinguish.
This posed unique problems during January’s wildfires in Los Angeles, California.
The cargo ship Morning Midas encountered similar problems when a fire started on board earlier this month. The ship sank this week, carrying its cargo of more than 3,000 vehicles, including 70 EVs and 681 hybrids, to the ocean floor.
Automobiles are hazardous enough with the distractions brought on by smartphone use and the dangers of dealing with intoxicated and reckless drivers.
EVs are just adding another level of danger.
Thankfully, Arenas is OK, but he will probably think twice before getting behind the wheel of an EV again.
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