Top 5 recruit Alijah Arenas was all set to join the Trojans for his freshman year after reclassifying from 2026 to this year, when a horrible tragedy struck him. Arenas was in a car accident and was rushed to the hospital by the authorities, who responded to a call at 4:55 a.m in the morning. They pulled the 18-year-old out of his car and immediately hospitalized him.

Alijah’s Tesla Cybertruck rammed into a tree and immediately caught fire. It must have been hard to breathe in a closed car, as the airbags would have activated to soften the impact. ESPN confirmed that he did not have any broken bones and was placed into an induced coma. High School on SI reporter Tarek Fattal reported that the reasoning behind Arenas’ induced coma was due to smoke inhalation from the fire caused by the accident.

What does Induced Coma mean that Alijah Arenas suffered after his accident?

Arenas’ car suffered a sizeable impact when it hit the tree and Arenas probably would have suffered some injuries to his brain. Doctors sometimes induce a coma in cases of brain injuries. They effectively artificially shut down brain function in cases of extreme trauma. Shutting down function can give the brain time to heal without the body shutting off blood flow to damaged sections. It basically reduces the energy certain body parts need so the brain heals and the swelling goes down.

The main thing to note about this artificially drug-induced coma, as opposed to a coma, is that it’s reversible. So if you did this to someone with a normal, healthy brain, like Arenas, they would come right out of it once you removed the drugs. This means, in the best-case scenario, Arenas could play basketball within days after being released from the hospital.

What Chemicals Must Alijah Arenas Have Inhaled?

After the impact, the car engine would have been ignited, which caused the smoke. The smoke from a car fire involving a Tesla Cybertruck contains a variety of toxic chemicals, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and various hydrocarbons. Since the Cybertruck is an electric vehicle, it is different from that of a normal one.  The safety of lithium batteries in these cars has been up in the air since their inception.

Carbon monoxide interferes with oxygen transport in the blood, while NOx can irritate airways and contribute to respiratory diseases. Hydrocarbons can also cause various health issues depending on their specific chemical structure and concentration. These three together in large amounts, along with other harmful gases, can make you lose consciousness and even cause seizures. It’s unknown what symptoms Alijah showed immediately after the accident. 

What happened to the Cyber Truck after Alijah Arenas’ accident?

The truck was probably completely destroyed after this incident and will be damaged beyond repair.  Although the Cybertruck has a strong build, no car can survive this amount of impact and a fire. Alijah might have turned out luckier than others in this incident, as in August last year, a Cybertruck struck a concrete barrier and burst into flames near Houston, Texas. The driver was incinerated by the intense blaze.

Another Cybertruck went off the road and into a tree in Piedmont, California, last year. It exploded, killing three young passengers and critically burning a fourth. Alijah’s fire might have been related to a battery issue, in which case the design of the Cybertruck might offer some protection. Lets hope the 18-year-old is fine and is discharged from the hospital soon so he can come back and do what he does best: play basketball!