The crash in the city of Woodlands, Texas, was pretty terrifying. After hitting a tree, the car caught on fire. The driver was found in the back seat, presumably because he couldn't figure out how to open the door to get out.
Your take seems a lot more plausible.
It seems to me that Tesla door handles (in a world where they've been designing door latches for some time) are just plain ridiculous and likely unreliable but are a side effect of the market the company has been selling into. Gadgets go a long way with Tesla owners.
Obviously, things like a latch should not only work under all conditions including no-power, but they should probably be the same under all conditions. 'Emergency' latches aren't going to be used during an emergency as muscle memory is too important.