"I don't know if that was the battery or what. But she couldn't get out."
Four friends died in a burning Tesla after it crashed and the electronic doors allegedly failed.
The tragedy happened on October 24, 2024, in Toronto, Canada.
A woman in her 20s was the only survivor after Canada Post employee Rick Harper smashed the window of the blazing Model Y with a metal pole.
Four of her friends, identified as Neelraj Gohil, his sister Ketaba Gohil, Jay Sisodiya and Digvijay Patel all died in the crash.
It is reported that the four victims were originally from Gujarat.
A relative of the Gohil siblings said their parents have not been able to come to terms with the loss.
The relative said: “Their father, Sanjaysinh Gohil, is a retired bank employee.
“Ketaba had been residing in Toronto for the last five years, while Neelraj had moved in January this year to join his sister.”
According to the relative, the group were returning from a birthday party when the accident happened.
They added: “The family received a phone call on Thursday.
“The Canadian authorities have said that they would begin the DNA profiling of the charred bodies next week once the family has given a go-ahead.”
Mr Harper explained that the surviving woman “couldn’t open the doors” from the inside of the wreck.
Teslas have a button which the driver and passenger push to open a door instead of a handle. But if the power fails after a crash, the doors can become stuck.
Mr Harper said: “I would assume the young lady would have tried to open the door from the inside because she was pretty desperate to get out.
“I don’t know if that was the battery or what. But she couldn’t get out.”
After smashing the window, the woman got out of the car head-first.
But due to the thickness of the smoke, Mr Harper did not realise others were trapped inside.
According to police, the car crashed into a guardrail at high speed along Lake Shore Boulevard East in Toronto.
Investigators are still to determine the exact cause of the crash.
Tesla boasts of a “safety-first design” which makes them “the safest in the world”.
In Tesla cars, there is a manual override button but experts say the feature is not widely publicised.
It directs crash victims to pull away a panel in the door and then tug at a cable underneath, which will open the doors.
Safety watchdogs have also pointed out that crash victims may be too panicked or dazed to search for the feature after an accident.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says there are nine investigations involving the Tesla Model Y – which is the same model involved in the tragedy.
These investigations range from “unexpected brake activation” to “sudden unintended acceleration”.
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