STANSTED bosses are investigating after a parking employee crashed a passenger’s Tesla through bushes into and a pond.
Video shows the £40,000 Model 3 after it smashed through a fence, down a bank and got lodged between trees and in the murky water of a pond.
The £40,000 car was crashed into bushes by a parking employee
A source said the vehicle was ‘completely wrecked’ following the crash
Lithium from the car’s batteries is also said to have killed wildlife in the pond
The gutted owner – whose identity is unknown – was contacted while away and told their car had been written off and the batteries were smashed on a rock.
Lithium from the batteries is also said to have killed wildlife in the pond.
It is believed the Tesla owner was told his car had to be written off after an accident and was given a hire car for use as long as he needed it.
A source claimed the crash was caused by a new driver at the wheel of the super-fast EV at the end of a ten-hour shift.
The source said: “It wasn’t just a little prang, it was completely wrecked.
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“I’m not too sure if the person fell asleep or whether they were messing around the launch control.
“It looks like they didn’t turn when they were supposed to, went straight through the bushes.
“There’s a massive rock that caught the batteries underneath and the lithium was pouring out into the pond.
“All the owner of the car knew was that he had received a notification on his phone that his car door was left open.
“They couldn’t get it recovered so it had to be lifted out. The lithium has contaminated the pond and wiped out the wildlife.”
The incident occurred on 28 August around three hours before the customer arrived back to the UK at the ‘Zulu’ storage area near the long-term car parking at Stansted.
Manchester Airport Group, which owns the land, have fenced off the contaminated area.
A spokesman for Stansted Airport said: “A meet & greet customer’s vehicle was regrettably damaged on August 28 while being parked in a secure on-site storage compound.
“The owner was immediately contacted to explain the situation, receive a full apology for the upset and considerable inconvenience this would have caused plus confirm a replacement vehicle will provided on their return.
“All costs associated with this incident will be fully covered by the airport.
“While damage to vehicle incidents are extremely rare, we have carried out a thorough investigation and taken the necessary action to prevent it happening again.”
AlamyA spokesman for Stansted Airport said it has issued a full apology[/caption]
AlamyThe crowded car parks close to the airport[/caption]