Texas woman dies after Tesla in autopilot mode crashes into her home; no charges filed against driver
A woman was killed after a Tesla operating with an automated driving assistance system crashed into her Texas home. The vehicle left the road and ploughed through the property.The fatal crash occurred in Houston. Driver Michael Butler was travelling in a Tesla Model 3 when the vehicle left its lane, veered off the roadway and slammed into a brick house.Butler was operating the car “with an automated driving assistance system” at the time of the collision.“Butler’s Tesla entered through the brick residence, at a high rate of speed, and struck M. Avila who was inside the residence,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.76-year-old Martha Avila was inside the home when the vehicle crashed through the front of the property. She was airlifted to hospital but later died from her injuries.Butler was injured in the crash but he showed no signs of intoxication and even co-operated with authorities. As of Saturday afternoon, no charges had been filed and the investigation remained ongoing.“We’re still evaluating what caused that car to fail to control its speed just before this crash,” Sgt. Alex Turman of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office told ABC13 Houston.Turman said the elderly Avila had been standing in the front room of her home when the Tesla struck the building.Footage captured by a doorbell camera showed the car driving up the property’s driveway before crashing into the house.The incident has once again drawn attention to Tesla’s Autopilot system. While it can assist with steering, braking and acceleration, Tesla’s manuals instruct drivers to remain attentive, keep their hands on the wheel and be prepared to take control at any time.Tesla has faced scrutiny over the technology in recent years. In 2023, the company recalled more than two million vehicles after US safety regulators said additional measures were needed to ensure drivers remained engaged while using the software.The recall followed a federal investigation launched in 2021 into a series of crashes involving Tesla’s driver-assistance system, including several fatal incidents. In 2024, the company also settled a lawsuit linked to a 2018 California crash that blamed the software for a driver’s death.
