A woman was killed and two people were injured Monday after a Tesla SUV drove onto a sidewalk outside Urbane Cafe in Simi Valley, police said. Authorities say an elderly driver was taken to the hospital and that four children were in the car at the time.
At about 2:30 p.m. Monday, a call brought Simi Valley police to a shopping center near Urbane Cafe at 2091 Madera Road, Unit A. When officers arrived, they found a woman walking on the sidewalk who had been pinned under a Tesla SUV.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, Simi Valley Police Sgt. Rick Morton said. He described the incident as an event that began in a parking lot and ended among pedestrians and outdoor seating.
Morton said the investigation is still in its early stages. but what investigators have seen so far from surveillance video from neighboring businesses suggests the Tesla was being driven northbound through the Target parking lot. Police say the driver attempted to turn right to head eastbound toward Madera Road. but didn’t make the turn and went over the sidewalk.
The driver, described by police as an elderly woman, was taken to the hospital. Morton said she was taken in with complaints of pain to her chest and arm.
Morton said there were four children in the car at the time of the crash. One child was taken to a hospital by a family member “as a precaution” for abrasions.
Video from the scene showed the Tesla stopped in the area where there is outdoor seating for the cafe—an area where pedestrians and customers would normally be close by.
The woman who died has not been publicly identified. No arrests have been made, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Simi Valley Tesla crash Urbane Cafe Madera Road sidewalk accident traffic investigation police