A Quebec man is seeking answers after his Tesla fell from a ferry and into a river north of Montreal while he was inside the vehicle last week.
Last Wednesday afternoon, Michael Demarinis took his Tesla on the ferry crossing from Île Bizard to Laval. As the ferry docked, he tried to drive off but something went wrong.
“My front tires made it. But my back tires fell (between the ferry and the dock),” Demarinis told Global News.
When that happened, he said the ferry operator pulled away from the wall in an attempt to help Demarinis.
“It only made the matter even worse,” the Laval native said.
Demarinis said that once the ferry operator realized that, he tried to lift the Tesla up with his vessel but the car began to be crushed. Things got worse from there.
“That’s when the car completely let go and was able to fall into Rivière des Prairies,” Demarinis said, noting that the current began taking his vehicle downstream.
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The 67-year-old credited his Tesla for its features at that point, as he said the windows automatically lower when they are submerged in water.
“I was swimming, swimming and swimming with these type of currents and drafts that are in there is almost impossible, even the best swimmer in the world won’t make it across,” Demarinis said.
The Laval resident worked as a lifeguard in his 20s and said he allowed the current to carry him downriver, where he washed up on shore and got help.
He was taken to an area hospital for treatment but escaped injury.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the incident but it will be a while before it provides answers as to what happened.
“It takes long to do an investigation. Normally, it’s a Class 3 investigation. The more common one, it’s 450 days,” TSB’s Line Laroche told Global News.
If during the investigation, the TSB discovers there is an issue, it will let the operator know immediately.
Demarinis believes the ferry was not properly secured to the dock, and wonders if the ferry’s crew is properly trained to deal with these types of events.
“Nobody knew what to do, they didn’t know nothing. I mean, they were just screaming and panicked,” he said.
He wants changes to ensure this never happens again and has not ruled out legal action.
Global News has contacted the ferry operator but did not receive a response by deadline.
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