Beacon Journal staff writer
Josh Brown paid $40,000 for his tiny, tidy Plain Township house, about half what he paid for his Tesla.
The 40-year-old nicknamed his electric Tesla “Tessy” and bragged to the world about its driverless capabilities, posting videos online of him behind the wheel while Tessy did all of the work, steering and braking.
Brown had been a master explosive ordnance disposal technician with SEAL Team 6 — part of an advance group that set up communication and wireless networks in advance of war missions. He launched his own technology company — Nexu Innovations — in Stow.
And his Facebook page shows his life packed with adventure: skydiving, dirt-biking and, in one picture, kneeling next to a cobra while a man apparently charms the deadly creature to lift its hooded head from a basket where it lay coiled.
But Brown will likely be remembered by most as the first U.S. fatality in a wreck involving a car in self-driving mode — Tessy.
Brown’s parents, who live in Stow, have declined to speak to reporters. On Friday, they released a statement through a Cleveland law firm saying they are cooperating with the ongoing federal investigation into the crash.
“In honor of Josh’s life and passion for technological advancement, the Brown family is committed to cooperating in these efforts and hopes that information learned from this tragedy will trigger further innovation which enhances the safety of everyone on the roadways,” the statement said.
Brown was killed May 7 in Williston, Fla., a small town between Gainesville and Ocala. He was on his way home to Ohio after visiting family and doing some business, the family attorney Jack Landskroner said Friday.
The crash happened when Tessy’s cameras failed to distinguish the white side of a semi-truck from a brightly lit sky and didn’t automatically activate its brakes when the truck turned, according to statements by the government and the automaker.
Tessy ran into the underside of the tractor-trailer. The impact sheared off the top of Tessy, which passed under the truck, smashed through two fences and struck a power pole before stopping.
Frank Baressi, 62, the driver of the semi-truck, later told a reporter he could hear a Harry Potter movie playing in Tessy after the crash.
There was no reference to the film in initial police reports and Tesla Motors Inc. said it is not possible to watch videos on the Model S — Tessy’s model touch screen.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, the Florida State Highway Patrol and the Cleveland lawfirm the Brown’s family have all launched separate investigations.
“Basically, the truck driver failed to yield and came across two lanes of highway traffic,” attorney Landskroner said. “Why there was no reaction to that, that’s an issue.”
Was it Tessy’s fault?
Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, last year said the company’s self-driving feature, introduced in the Model S last fall, is “probably better than a person right now.”
But this week, the company issued a statement to the New York Times that said the self-driving mode was merely a test feature and noted that its use “requires explicit acknowledgment that the system is new technology.”
Tesla also posted a message on its blog emphasizing that the company reminds drivers that they are responsible every time they use self-driving mode.
“When drivers activate Autopilot, the acknowledgment box explains, among other things, that Autopilot ‘is an assist feature that requires you to keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times,’ and that ‘you need to maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle” while using it,’ ” the statement said.
Brown’s death — and the investigation into it — comes as automakers and technology firms race to develop self-driving vehicles that many have believed will make the roadways safer.
Lawmakers have apparently failed to keep up.
There are few rules governing autonomous driving, and the few laws in place vary by state, Wired magazine recently reported.
Federal regulators are only in the early stages of setting guidelines for autonomous vehicles.
Brown was a believer, not only in Tesla and driverless cars, but in technology.
On his company website, he posted a short biography that began like this:
“I started Nexu Innovations with two things in mind: (T)o make a difference and to have fun. When I look at the world around me I see what it could be,” he wrote. “I focus on what could be done to make this world a better place.”
Amanda Garrett can be reached at 330-996-3725 or agarrett@thebeaconjournal.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.