Video of 3 SpaceX Employees Being Struck By Car Outside Headquarters

Doug Messier News 22 Comments

A news report about three SpaceX employees who were hit by a car on Dec. 17 after leaving work. The incident occurred at 2:15 a.m. About three hours later, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted the following Tweets:

A source tells Parabolic Arc that traffic on Crenshaw Boulevard where the employees were struck is heavy. During the day, crossing guards help guide people across the street. Musk has wanted a tunnel built under the street to make it easier and safer for employees to cross.

The Tweets set off a wave of media speculation that envisioned a frustrated Musk sitting in LA traffic devising a way of disrupting the tunneling business. Some speculated the tunneling was needed for the Hyperloop rapid transit systems; others thought it would be useful for underground martian settlements.

The source said it was disturbing that Musk was tweeting about how much traffic was bothering him, and talking about a new business venture, while making no reference to the accident or his injured employees in the hospital. The tweets came off as crass and unfeeling.

The three female employees survived the accident. Two of them were back in the hospital on Thursday for additional surgery, according to the NBC News 4 report. You can read more here: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Hit-and-Run-Video-Hawthorne-Crosswalk-Search-SpaceX-408680785.html

  • publiusr

    This is horrible. How are they doing?

  • Douglas Messier

    The story says:

    “They were treated at the scene and then taken to a hospital. Two of the
    women were back in the hospital Thursday, authorities said.”

    The women need additional surgery.

    http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Hit-and-Run-Video-Hawthorne-Crosswalk-Search-SpaceX-408680785.html

  • publiusr

    Thank you.

    All the best.

  • Smokey_the_Bear

    I don’t know what’s worse, getting hit by a car, or having to work until 2! just kidding, just lightening the mood, hope they heal quickly, the Falcon Heavy needs all hands on deck, jk again. Hope they catch the guy.

  • DJN

    quote “The source said it was disturbing that Musk was tweeting about how much traffic was bothering him, and talking about a new business venture, while making no reference to the accident or his injured employees in the hospital.”

    Nice bit of Fake News. How did the “source” know that Musk new about the accident at the same time he was tweeting? Or did he. This reads as an unfair swipe at Musk. Doug since this comment has no collaboration it should have not been included in your article.

  • Douglas Messier

    I stand behind the story.

  • windbourne

    Doug, not sure that you want to do that.
    His tweets are on his way to work at 6 am on the 17th.
    The accident occurred on the 17th, at 2 AM.

    “On Dec. 17 at 2:15 a.m., a group of people were walking across the street in a crosswalk at Crenshaw Boulevard and Rocket Road, Hawthorne police confirmed”

    Not much chance that he knew unless he watches AM news, which is not likely.

  • Richard Malcolm

    Actually, looking at the link, it seems the accident happened on Dec. 17 at 2:15 a.m. (burning the midnight oil, eh?); but the local NBC station did not file this report until the night of Dec. 29. There are other news outlets who reported on it on Dec. 17.

    Of course, what I don’t know is exactly when Musk knew about the accident, or what he knew about it. These tweets are all from later that morning, 6 to 9 hours afterward. It’s possible he could have been informed by then. If his tweets are being badly received by SpaceX employees…that would be interesting to hear about.

    Either way, I do hope they find the hit-and-run driver who did this, and prosecute him vigorously.

  • windbourne

    yeah, I updated my posting after I saw in the story that it had occurred on the 17th at 2 am.
    And unless Musk was called OR he watches AM news, there is no way that he knew about it.

    Normally, I like doug’s stories, but this is one based on what somebody claims.

  • windbourne

    have to say that s?he hit those girls at fairly high speeds. We are talking 50-55 MPH easy.
    It is amazing that they are alive.

  • Douglas Messier

    I stand behind the story. The information is solid.

    You think Musk gets information about 3 of his employees getting hit by a car outside headquarters from the morning news? I don’t think so…..

  • Douglas Messier

    You think nobody would have alerted him about this? Seriously? The guy is very hands on.

  • windbourne

    He is extremely hands on. But unless your resource told him themself, or was in the room, I would not trust it. For all we know, he was told that a hit-run occured last night to several of our employees, but they are OK.
    In which case, he would be thinking in terms of how to stop similar things.

    I drive be a Highlands ranch school area and watch the cluster that it is. I keep on thinking that a couple of types of bridges could be built to solve these issues.
    I would be surprised if he is doing same.

  • Douglas Messier

    I stand by the story.

  • Richard Malcolm

    I don’t think so, either. SpaceX has become a big operation, but not *that* big yet. I find it likely he would have been briefed by the time he tweeted.

    On its face – assuming he knew about it – *I* am not unduly disturbed about it, because I don’t have enough information or context to get there. I could envision scenarios both ways. But at the end of the day all that likely matters is how SpaceX employees perceive it. And they surely know more than I do in forming their perceptions.

    I have no idea who your source is, but I’m guessing it’s someone inside SpaceX. If they’re indicative of a much wider sense of indignation about Musk’s behavior, then that’s an unhealthy sign, and it’s also a newsworthy unhealthy sign. Is that the case?

  • windbourne

    we should NOT be asking about sources or where from.
    The idea of their remaining anonymous is just that. 100% anonymous.
    Once he starts giving up some info, it could lead to said person, which a good journalist should never do unless he has permission and it is germane to the story (it is not).

  • DJN

    But practicing character assassination by citing “Anonymous Source” is way out of line and says more about the ethics of the author than it does the subject of the story.

  • Douglas Messier

    Wrong.

    I stand behind the story. The information is solid. Beyond that I can’t really comment.

  • windbourne

    I have no reason to doubt Doug. The man has been rock solid on everything that he reported in the past.
    If he says that he trust his source, then I am going to believe him, UNTIL the day comes that 1 or 2 sources screw him over.

    Now as to character assassination, well, knowing musk, he probably did not want to say a thing until he knew what was going on. That is actually sage advice for anything that involves legal issues ( and with musk and nearly all ‘shaker uppers’ , everybody is trying to sue those poor bast*&rds as a means of stopping them ).

  • patb2009

    Doug isn’t going to burn a source.

  • patb2009

    “I don’t know what’s worse….”

    How about Having to work until 2 after being hit by a car at 2 AM that morning.

  • blobface

    If there was an accident, and immediately he digs a tunnel to make it safer for the employee, in which universe is that heartless? Nobody gives a shit about your feelings, instead of writing some sob story or publicly condemn hit and run drivers (in case people don’t already hate hit and run drivers) in order to appear to give a shit, he’s not a politician, he just took action to make it safer, isn’t that better?