PICTURED: Young bride-to-be, 27, and her tech entrepreneur boss, 44, who were killed when the Tesla they were driving slammed into a tree and burst into a FIREBALL
- Two people have died after the Tesla they were driving crashed into a tree
- Casey Speckman, 27, and 44-year-old Kevin McCarthy died on Thursday
- Speckman was behind the wheel of the 2015 S-Model when she crashed
- Police say they believe the car was traveling at high speeds at the time
A young bride-to-be and her tech entrepreneur boss were killed when the Tesla they were driving slammed into a tree and burst into flames.
Casey Speckman, 27, was behind the wheel of the 2015 S-Model electric car, with her boss, 44-year-old Kevin McCarthy, when the accident took place about 1am on Thursday in Indianapolis.
The Tesla was McCarthy's car. Police said it was traveling at a high speed.
Scroll down for the video
Casey Speckman (left), 27, and 44-year-old Kevin McCarthy (right) died when the Tesla they were driving slammed into a tree and burst into flames
Speckman was pronounced dead at the scene, while McCarthy was rushed to the nearby Eskenazi Hospital but could not be saved, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Witnesses said the car 'bounced around' after crashing into the tree before it exploded.
Al Finnell, who was driving near the Tesla, said he had to speed up to avoid debris and flames.
'It hit that tree and it bounced around and all of a sudden it just exploded,' Finnell told WTHR.
'I had to accelerate my vehicle, because all the car parts went up in the air and I had to accelerate just to get away from it.'
He went on to say the car exploded into a 'big ball of fire'.
The car hit the tree with such force its wheels where ripped from the chassis. The electronic batteries were also damaged, which police say caused the fire.
Speckman (right, with a friend) was behind the wheel of the S-Model electric car crashed about 1am on Thursday in Indianapolis
Police say the car was traveling at a high speed, and that Speckman was pronounced dead at the scene
Speckman was due to marry her fiance, Brandon Seniff, next year.
Friends of the young couple said they were shocked by the devastating news.
'It's all very, very sad,' Cody Rivers said. 'My heart breaks for Brandon; I can only imagine what he's going through.'
The 27-year-old graduated from Indiana University in 2011. She met her fiance while studying at the college, and the two had spoken about how they planned to spend their future together in a letter on their wedding website.
'We have experienced and supported each other through all the great times, traumatic and sad times. We have graduated college, graduated law school, obtained first and second jobs ... living together and living apart, got a sweet puppy, bought a condominium in Indianapolis ... and did it all together!' the letter reads.
Speckman was due to marry her fiance, Brandon Seniff, next year. The couple is pictured together
A picture from the scene of the crash shows the car after it burst into flames on Thursday morning
'We have been through nearly a decade of our lives together and are so excited to see what the future decades hold!'
McCarthy was the president of Express Software & Services, and a former FBI special agent.
In a statement issued late Thursday, the electric car maker said it's cooperating with Indianapolis police's investigation into the crash.
Tesla added it appears as though the car's semi-autonomous Autopilot system was not engaged when the crash occurred.
The car sustained so much damage that it didn't transmit data to the company's servers. That data would show if the driver had the car in Autopilot mode.
The car that was being driven in the deadly crash was a 2015 S-Model Tesla (stock image)
Damage from the car crash is seen strewn across the road after the accident took place on Thursday
Firefighters arrived on the scene shortly after the accident took place in Indianapolis
But the company said the system likely wasn't engaged, because Autopilot would have limited the vehicle's speed to less than 35 miles per hour on the street where the accident occurred.
'We are deeply saddened to hear that this accident involved fatalities,' the Palo Alto, California-based company said.
Police spokesman Maj. Richard Riddle said earlier Thursday that investigators were looking at whether Autopilot played a role in the accident.
The system, which was introduced last year, can automatically drive the car at a set speed and keep it within its lane. Drivers need to touch the wheel at certain intervals or the system will turn off.
Most watched News videos
- Donald Trump dramatically rushed off stage by secret service
- 'You should be my biggest fan' Gina Miller tells Farage
- Female student loses it and beats student over RINGTONE
- Woman kicks man to the floor after he gropes her in supermarket
- Alec Baldwin's Trump kisses the FBI, Putin and the KKK on SNL
- Trump protestor disrupts Obama during rally for Clinton
- Is this the creepy moment the corpse of a girl OPENS her eyes?
- 'My dad OWNS your a***': School teacher hurls abuse at doorman
- Pilot saves lives of 439 passengers by narrowly avoiding collision
- Donald Trump's Teleprompter breaks on stage in Charlotte
- Jay Z takes the stage for Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio
- Terrified boy's hilarious reaction to finding spider in canoe
- The Donald is rushed off the stage by Secret Service while...
- 'I've never said what he said in my life!' Trump blasts...
- South Carolina's 'serial killer': Convicted rapist who 'kept...
- PICTURED: Young bride-to-be, 27, and her tech entrepreneur...
- Back to the crime scene: Man who 'kept woman chained up in a...
- EXCLUSIVE: Trump's 13-year-old 'rape victim' dramatically...
- Harry and his SECOND hottie: Prince secretly dated English...
- Police find the body of missing 10-year-old girl: Uncle is...
- Camilla the MAN EATER: She was fired from her posh job for...
- 'Is the whole world insane?' Alec Baldwin's Trump kisses the...
- 'If you're supporting Trump, I want nothing to do with you':...
- Clinton's charity confirms it accepted $1million from Qatar...