County coroner: Cybertruck accident victims died of asphyxia and smoke inhalation

Julie Reichle

Memorial at the crash site on Hampton Avenue on Friday, Nov. 29.

The three victims in a Cybertruck crash in Piedmont on Nov. 27 last year died of asphyxia and smoke inhalation according to reports by the Alameda County Coroner’s office.

The toxicology reports stated the three victims all had drugs and alcohol in their systems.

Soren Dixon, Jack Nelson, and Krysta Tsukahara all died in the crash, which happened when the Cybertruck jumped a curb, hit a tree and burst into flames near Hampton Road and King Avenue a little after 3 a.m. on the morning of Nov. 27. A fourth person, Jordan Miller, was pulled from the vehicle and survived the crash.

Dixon, 19, was identified as the driver of the vehicle. He had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.195 percent, over the legal limit of 0.08 percent for drivers 21 and over and 0.01 percent for drivers under 21. The report said Nelson had a BAC of 0.168 percent and Tsukahara had a BAC of 0.028 percent.

Cocaine was detected in the blood of all three. Dixon also had methamphetamine in his system.

The three victims were severely burned. The deaths were ruled an accident. The impact from the crash was not cited as a cause of death in the autopsies.

All three victims graduated from Piedmont High School in the Spring of 2023. Dixon played lacrosse at Piedmont and was a sophomore at USC, where he was studying biology. He also played club lacrosse. Nelson, 20, played lacrosse, soccer and football at Piedmont and was a sophomore at the University of Colorado. Tsukahara, 19, was a sophomore at the Savannah College of Art and Design majoring in Fashion Design.

Piedmont police chief Jeremy Bowers said at the time of the crash that speed may have been a factor. Piedmont Police Captain Chris Monahan said the preliminary reports on the accident are not complete and a press release will be issued when they are. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also investigating the crash.

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