A 76-year-old woman has died after a Tesla on autopilot mode crashed through her Texas home on Friday night, according to police.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said an adult male drove into the front room of a residence and pinned the female resident, who was pronounced deceased.
Investigators identified the driver as Michael Butler and said he was driving a Tesla Model 3 when he failed to maintain a single lane, left the roadway and crashed into the residence, according to a news release from police.
Butler’s Tesla “entered through the brick residence at a high rate of speed” and struck the woman, identified as Martha Avila, who was inside, police said.
Police said that the woman was taken by a medical helicopter to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Butler told police that the vehicle was on autopilot at the time of the crash. He was also injured in the crash and taken to a nearby hospital.
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The sheriff’s office said Butler showed no signs of intoxication and was cooperative during the investigation, according to the news release.
When Global News reached out to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for further comment, it said that this remains “an active and open investigation.”
“Once all evidence has been gathered, it will be presented to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to determine whether charges are appropriate,” the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said.
Global News has reached out to Tesla for comment, but has not received a response.
Jennifer Barbour, Avila’s daughter, posted surveillance video of the crash on Facebook, writing, “This is the car flying into my home. My mom didn’t deserve this.”
Barbour also shared a GoFundMe page set up for the family following the incident.
“On the day of June 19th, our family experienced a devastating tragedy when a vehicle crashed into my aunt’s home, destroying most of the house. My grandmother, Martha Avila, who was inside at the time, tragically lost her life,” Avila’s granddaughter Kelly Avila wrote in the page description.
“The home is now uninhabitable and under investigation, forcing our family into temporary housing while they cope with this unimaginable loss. We are raising funds to help cover emergency living expenses, funeral costs, and the rebuilding process as our family begins to recover,” the description added.
The GoFundMe post had raised more than USD$27,000 of its $28,000 goal from more than 390 donations as of Monday afternoon.
In 2023, Tesla recalled nearly all vehicles sold in the U.S. to update software and fix a defective system that’s supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when using autopilot.
Documents posted by U.S. safety regulators said the update would increase warnings and alerts to drivers and even limit the areas where basic versions of autopilot can operate.
The recall came after a two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into a series of crashes that happened while the autopilot partially automated driving system was in use.
—with files from The Associated Press
Anonymous…there is no real secondary market for EVs as a new battery costs almost as much as a new car.
Its just AI trying to be more human by getting into a car accident within a mile of home.
Tesla garbage has the worst resell value on the market
Be careful with your reporting. Tesla has already released the data that she had floored the accelerator.
@U KNOW IT: The guy driving the car was neither a rag head or a Chinese it doesn’t take much to fulfill your racist rants does it
Too bad the amazing tardo Musk is so sheltered by Tesla that he can’t be sued for creating these horrible vehicles
Any driver who buys one of these piles of junk and then uses self driving should face an additional penalty on top of any motor vehicle or criminal charges. If you don’t or can’t drive then take a taxi, Uber, transit or any other option
I remember just a couple year ago, everyone on social media was chanting that we all needed to buy Teslas if we cared about the environment and they always had to tell us how reliable, untouchable and plain outstanding they were. Nothing but virtue signalling.
The result of letting the machine do the thinking for you. The driver should be charged with criminal negligence.
Nobody with any tech credentials believes that Teslas will ever be capable of Full Self Driving because Musk refuses to fit them with the necessary sensors. If you see a Tesla coming towards you, look for a safe place to hide from it.
GOOD, GREAT NEWS. BUY TESLA !!! R A G HEADS AND CH I N ES E ONLY BUY FOR STATUS ANYWAY, THESE 2 GROUPS CARE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT CLIMATE. ONLY HOW THEY LOOK TO their COMMUNITY WHICH MAKES IT A F/ G JOKE
It’s amazing people believe in this Tesla garbage
When will these people learn? I believe this is the 19th version of this software, none before it worked either.