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Tesla in Autopilot sped up before Utah crash, police report says

FILE -In this Friday, May 11, 2018, file photo released by the South Jordan Police Department shows a traffic collision involving a Tesla Model S sedan with a Fire Department mechanic truck stopped at a red light in South Jordan, Utah. The driver of a Tesla electric car that hit a Utah fire department vehicle over the weekend says the car's semi-autonomous Autopilot mode was engaged at the time of the crash. Police in the Salt Lake City suburb of South Jordan said Monday, May 14, 2018, the driver also said in an interview that she was looking at her phone before the accident. The 28-year-old woman broke her foot when her car hit a fire truck stopped at a red light while going 60 mph (97 kph). (South Jordan Police Department via AP, File)

A new police report says a Tesla that crashed in Utah while in Autopilot mode accelerated just before it smashed into a stopped firetruck.

The incident report obtained Thursday by The Associated Press through a public records request also reveals that the driver told police she assumed the vehicle’s automatic brakes would detect stopped traffic and stop.

Police speculated that a car in front of the Tesla changed lanes and the vehicle accelerated to regain speed without noticing the stopped cars ahead.

Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 29-year-old driver, Heather Lommatzsch, was charged with a misdemeanor traffic citation after police say vehicle data show she didn’t touch the steering wheel for 80 seconds before the crash.

A voicemail left for Lommatzsch wasn’t immediately returned.

By Julian Hattem | The Associated Press