Yes, the "02 was the first
Yes, the "02 was the first year, and the '03 was the same body style... I just happened to get the wagon version (I think '03 was the first year the wagon was offered, but I'm not certain). That aside, could you cite your source for that "people were trapped in the car and died because first responders couldn’t get the doors open due to the recessed door handles" claim? The only real world issue I'm aware of is a lawsuit regarding a Model S which has an "auto-presenting" handle whale the Model 3 is a mechanical handle that wouldn't have this same potential issue.
With the safety ratings out there (the Impreza gets a "Top Safety Pick" from the IIHS while the Model 3 gets a "Top Safety Pick+") and crash ratings from other entities report similar results (both are very good in this respect).
I still stand by my original thesis: "If you’re actually going to run it on the track or do rally runs, get a WRX and modify it; if you’re going to use it as a street car, the Model 3 in any variant is a better car and way cheaper to run."