The owner of a Tesla Model 3 Performance from Mefalsim, Israel, escaped alive from a shocking attack by Hamas fighters, and it was mostly thanks to his car, according to a report from Israeli news outlet Walla.
Minutes after Hamas forces invaded the Otaf settlements from the nearby Gaza Strip, a man described in the report only as C., a resident of Kibbutz Mefalsim, was called with the settlement's emergency squad. He jumped in his Tesla and started driving to the assembly point when a pickup truck loaded with Hamas combatants cut him off and opened fire. What happened next sounds like an scene from an action movie.
Although he suffered a series of head and hand injuries that required surgery, C. is thankful that he was in his Tesla Model 3 at the time of the attack. Speaking from Sheba Hospital, he told Walla about the drive he will never forget.
The fighters started shooting at the Tesla with their Kalashnikov rifles and a machine gun from close range, aiming specifically for the front and rear of the EV.
"They did not realize that it was an electric vehicle, so they shot at the front, hoping to hit the engine that was not there, and at the back, trying to set the fuel tank on fire that the car doesn't have. They shot my tires. I stepped on the gas and they started chasing me," C. said.
Even though the Tesla's tires were flattened, the driver said the Model 3 Performance dual-motor AWD system managed to keep the car on the road. He realized he was seriously wounded, so he pushed the accelerator to reach the hospital, reaching speeds of up to 112 miles per hour.
Fortunately for him, the diesel truck – a Toyota Hilux or Isuzu D-Max, according to what he recalls – wasn't able to keep up with the Tesla, and he managed to get away.
He arrived at the Barzilai Hospital in Beer Sheva despite the fact one of the tires had disintegrated completely, according to the story. Looking at the photos of the car shared on social media, it's a miracle that he is still alive: the bodywork is sprayed with bullets, and there's lots of blood on and around the driver's seat.
About 100 bullets are said to have hit the car, but the front window did not disintegrate despite being seriously cracked. Interestingly, the Tesla Model 3 not only saved the man's life but also helped his wife know his whereabouts via a notification on the Tesla app when the car reached the hospital.
C. said his Tesla still drives if you press the accelerator, but he realizes it may be time to think about his next car, which will be a Tesla.
