Three Tesla workers were injured at the Tesla Motors factory of Fremont, California, in an accident that occurred Wednesday morning. The Fremont Fire Department received a call at 11:52 a.m., local time, and rushed to the scene.
The Fremont FD confirmed the incident as a workplace accident. While initial media reports suggested a fire or explosion had broke out in the plant, Fremont Fire spokesperson Dan Cardenas denied the rumors and confirmed no fires occurred. That said, three Tesla workers were rushed to the Valley Medical Center of San Jose to treat moderate to serious burns. So what happened?
"There was a failure in a low pressure aluminum casting press," said Tesla Motors spokesperson Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean in an official statement from Tesla Motors. "Three employees were injured by hot metal from that press. We are making sure that they receive the best possible care."
"We had an equipment malfuction in our low pressure aluminum die casting operation," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "So it spilled essentially molten aluminum and that was the issure.
Elon Musk identified the three injured Tesla employees as Jorge, Kevin, and Jesus, but withheld their last names. Musk said the employees all seemed to be in good spirits. Jorge and Kevin suffered minor injuries and are expected to make a full recovery. Jesus suffered more severe burns.
"In the case of Jesus, his hands were burnt pretty badly," said Musk, who arrived at the hospital Wednesday night to visit his workers. "So it's not clear what the recovery is going to be. We want to have that recovery as much as possible, so we'll do everything we can on that front."
One of the Tesla workers have already been released from the hospital as of Wednesday night.
