Street view of westbound Serrano Parkway near Terracina Drive in El Dorado Hills, where a Tesla crashed into a tree and caught fire. Source: Google Maps.
KEY DETAILS
DATE & TIME
Saturday, September 12, 2026, at approximately 10:40 p.m.
LOCATION
Serrano Parkway near Terracina Drive, El Dorado Hills, CA
VICTIM
A 30-year-old Sacramento man was ejected and died at the scene; the Tesla’s driver and a female passenger, both women, were found dead inside the burned vehicle; a 28-year-old Sacramento woman escaped with major injuries and was hospitalized
ROAD CLOSURES
Westbound Serrano Parkway was closed for investigation and cleanup until about 4:30 a.m.
INVESTIGATION
The California Highway Patrol’s Placerville office is investigating; officials say the cause of both the crash and the fire remain undetermined
Three people died and a fourth was hospitalized with major injuries after a Tesla Model Y crashed into a tree and caught fire on westbound Serrano Parkway near Terracina Drive in El Dorado Hills late Saturday night. The crash happened around 10:40 p.m., and a 30-year-old man from Sacramento was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. The Tesla’s driver and a second female passenger were found dead inside the car after firefighters extinguished the blaze. A 28-year-old woman from Sacramento escaped the burning vehicle with help from passersby and was taken to a hospital with major injuries.
According to CBS Sacramento, westbound Serrano Parkway was shut down for several hours while crews investigated and cleared the scene, reopening around 4:30 a.m. The California Highway Patrol’s Placerville office is leading the investigation; CHP Officer Andrew Brown said earlier reports blaming the fire on damage to the Tesla’s lithium-ion battery were inaccurate, and that the cause of both the crash and the fire remains undetermined. No further details about what caused the vehicle to leave the roadway have been released.
X
CBS Sacramento
@CBSSacramento · Sep 13, 2026
Tesla crashes into El Dorado Hills tree, bursts into flames; 3 killed, 1 hospitalized
California’s Basic Speed Law prohibits driving faster than is safe for current road and traffic conditions, regardless of the posted limit. When a single vehicle leaves the roadway and strikes a fixed object like a tree, investigators often examine speed, road geometry and driver control as contributing factors. Violations of this statute can support a finding of negligence in a civil injury or wrongful death claim.
Under California Code of Civil Procedure 377.60, the surviving spouse, children or other dependents of someone killed in a crash may bring a wrongful death claim to recover damages such as lost financial support, funeral costs and loss of companionship. In a crash with multiple fatalities like this one, each victim’s family may have an independent right to pursue a claim. These civil claims are separate from any CHP investigation into the cause of the crash.
This summary is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its specific facts.
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