Tesla industrial accident injures three employees

Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Tesla's safety issues are heating up.

An industrial accident at the automaker's Fremont, Calif. plant Wednesday resulted in three workers being burned in a hot metal spill. Two injuries were considered minor, and one serious.

The incident was due to failed equipment, and there were no fires at the factory. The malfunction occurred in a low pressure aluminum casting press.

This industrial accident comes in the wake of three recent highly publicized fires in Model S cars. Shareholders have expressed concern that the car has safety issues but Tesla maintains the vehicle is among the safest on the road today and won't issue a recall.

Meanwhile, Tesla's third quarter deliveries fell short of investor expectations, leading them to fear that factory interruptions could impact the company's delivery charge of 600,000 cars this quarter.

The company reported that injured workers will receive the "best possible care" and CEO Elon Musk visited the burned workers, two still hospitalized in San Jose after the accident in Fremont.

The company has risen in popularity since its CEO, Elon Musk, has announced a number of extravagant innovations this year, including a transportation system dubbed the hyperloop that would transport people at ultra-high speeds through a pressurized tube, and a "supersonic airplane" that takes off and lands vertically.

But for the time being, Musk's high-speed dreams will have to take a back seat to his automotive affairs.

[Bloomberg] [SFGate] [New York Times]