Tesla crash kills 76-year-old Texas woman as NHTSA opens probe into Full Self-Driving system
16 Sources
[1]
Elon Musk denies Tesla's Autopilot caused crash that killed grandmother
A few days after a Tesla plowed through a Texas home and killed a grandmother, the family sued the carmaker, alleging that the Model 3's automated assist mode was defective. In a complaint filed this week in Harris County District Court, Jennifer Barbour, the daughter of 76-year-old Martha Avila,
[2]
Tesla claims driver 'manually overrode self-driving' in deadly Texas crash
Tesla is pushing back on claims that its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system caused a fatal Texas crash, where a speeding Model 3 barreled into a home, killing a 76-year-old woman inside. In a reply on X, Tesla AI head Ashok Elluswamy says the driver "manually overrode self-driving by pressing the
[3]
NHTSA to Probe Tesla Crash Into Texas Home That Left One Dead
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into a Texas crash that left a 76-year-old woman dead after a Tesla Model 3 slammed into her residence, Reuters reports. The incident took place on June 19, and the driver told the Harris County Sheriff's Office
[4]
Tesla sued over fatal Texas crash linked to Autopilot
June 24 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab has been sued by the family of a 76-year-old Texas grandmother killed last week when a driver using his Model 3's automated driving assistance system crashed into her suburban Houston home, the family's lawyers said. According to a complaint filed
[5]
Top auto regulator opens special probe after a Tesla slams into a Texas home, killing a 76-year-old
NEW YORK (AP) -- The top U.S. auto regulator opened an investigation Monday after a Tesla using an automated driving feature slammed into a Texas home at high speed and killed a 76-year-old woman standing inside. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it's opening a special
[6]
Texas family sues Tesla over fatal crash into home
A Texas woman is suing Tesla and a driver for at least $1m (£759,000) in damages after one of the electric vehicles crashed into her family home, killing her mother Jennifer Barbour filed her lawsuit in a local court on Tuesday, just days after her 76-year-old mother Martha Avila died from
[7]
Top auto regulator opens special probe after a Tesla slams into a Texas home, killing a 76-year-old
NEW YORK -- The top U.S. auto regulator opened an investigation Monday after a Tesla using an automated driving feature slammed into a Texas home at high speed and killed a 76-year-old woman standing inside. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it's opening a special
[8]
US opens second federal investigation of deadly Tesla crash into Texas home
Driver told authorities he had driver-assistance technology engaged before crash that killed 76-year-old Martha Avila The US government has opened a second federal investigation into a recent crash of a Tesla that reportedly had driver-assistance technology engaged, struck a Texas home and killed
[9]
A Tesla on autopilot just killed a woman who was standing in her own living room | Fortune
The top U.S. auto regulator opened an investigation Monday after a Tesla using an automated driving feature slammed into a Texas home at high speed and killed a 76-year-old woman standing inside. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it's opening a special investigation into the
[10]
Senator Blumenthal demands Tesla be held accountable in alleged self-driving crash
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on April 30 in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Graeme Sloan / Getty Images file Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is calling for Tesla to be held accountable for its role in a fatal crash last week in Texas in
[11]
Tesla sued over fatal crash in Texas home that killed 76-year-old woman
The family of a 76-year-old woman killed when a Tesla Model 3 crashed into her Katy, Texas, home has sued Tesla and the driver, alleging the company's "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving" systems are defectively designed. The wrongful death suit lands just days after the crash -- and it leans on
[12]
Victim's family in fatal Texas Tesla 'automated driving assistance' crash files lawsuit
The family of a woman who was killed when a Tesla in an automated assist mode crashed into her Houston area home has filed a lawsuit against the automaker and the person behind the wheel, attorneys said Tuesday. The suit, filed by 76-year-old Martha Avila's daughter Jennifer Barbour and her
[13]
Tesla Sued Over Fatal Texas Crash Linked to Autopilot
June 24 (Reuters) - Tesla has been sued by the family of a 76-year-old Texas grandmother killed last week when a driver using his Model 3's automated driving assistance system crashed into her suburban Houston home, the family's lawyers said. According to a complaint filed on Tuesday, Elon
[14]
Top auto regulator opens special probe after a Tesla slams into a Texas home, killing a 76-year-old
NEW YORK (AP) -- The top U.S. auto regulator opened an investigation Monday after a Tesla using an automated driving feature slammed into a Texas home at high speed and killed a 76-year-old woman standing inside. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it's opening a special
[15]
Tesla admits FSD was on in fatal Texas crash, blames driver for 'overriding' it
Tesla now confirms that its self-driving system was engaged when a Model 3 left a residential road in Katy, Texas, and killed a 76-year-old woman inside her home -- but the company says the driver overrode it by pressing the accelerator to 100%. Everything points to a pedal misapplication while
[16]
Elon Musk And Tesla AI Chief Fire Back At Reports Linking FSD To Fatal Texas Crash - Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)
This Makes No Sense, Says Elon Musk In a post on X, Musk responded to a post by a user who criticized a report that said a Tesla driver claimed to have engaged driver assistance technology as the Model 3 vehicle crashed into a home in Katy, Texas, on June 19, which resulted in the death of
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A Tesla Model 3 slammed into a Texas home at 73 mph, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila. The driver claims the automated driving assistance system was engaged, sparking a wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla seeking over $1 million. Elon Musk and Tesla executives deny the technology caused the crash, alleging the driver manually overrode the system.
Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Tesla
The family of Martha Avila, a 76-year-old grandmother killed when a Tesla Model 3 crashed into her suburban Houston home, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla seeking more than $1 million in damages
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. Jennifer Barbour, Avila's daughter, and her husband Justin Barbour filed the complaint in Harris County District Court this week, alleging that Tesla's AI-driven Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems were defective and that the company demonstrated gross negligence by failing to ensure public safety1
.The fatal crash in Texas occurred on June 19 in Katy, when driver Michael Butler, also named as a defendant, told police his automated driving assistance system was engaged when he lost control of the vehicle
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. Doorbell camera footage obtained by local media shows the Model 3 traveling at high speed across the front lawn before ramming into the home3
. Avila was inside when the Tesla crash occurred and later died at a nearby hospital from her injuries.
Source: Electrek
Elon Musk and Tesla Executives Dispute Claims
Elon Musk quickly responded to the incident on X, arguing that Full Self-Driving drives slowly through neighborhood streets and that the high-speed nature of the crash indicates the technology wasn't responsible
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. Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla's vice president of AI software, went further by claiming the driver manually overrode the system by pressing the accelerator to 100 percent, reaching a speed of 73 mph during the crash and keeping the pedal pressed even after impact1
. However, neither executive provided evidence to support these claims.
Source: Benzinga
The family's lawsuit presents two theories about how Tesla's Full Self-Driving may have malfunctioned. The first centers on Sudden Unintended Acceleration, a defect the family alleges Tesla knows has caused numerous fatalities but hasn't fixed
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. This occurs when voltage surges from the battery cause the inverter to incorrectly interpret that the accelerator pedal has been pressed, causing rapid acceleration to dangerous speeds. The second theory suggests that because Tesla stripped vehicles of critical obstacle-detection hardware during a global chip shortage, Butler's Model 3 failed to detect the home directly in its path at the end of the street.NHTSA Investigation Adds Federal Scrutiny
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed it has opened an NHTSA investigation into the Texas crash, marking yet another federal probe into Tesla's driver assistance technologies
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. This is significant as NHTSA has opened 46 special crash investigations involving Teslas using self-driving or driver-assistance technology over the past decade, with more than a dozen resulting in at least one fatality5
.In March, NHTSA escalated its probe into 3.2 million Teslas equipped with Full Self-Driving over concerns the system may fail to detect or warn drivers in poor visibility conditions
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. The agency has received more than a dozen reports of Teslas slamming into parked emergency vehicles while Tesla's Autopilot was active, highlighting what the family's lawsuit describes as "a well-established inability to properly detect stationary objects"1
.Related Stories
Implications for Tesla's Robotaxis Rollout
The timing of this Tesla crash carries particular weight as Elon Musk rolls out robotaxis using automated software in several U.S. cities this year, with plans to invite Tesla owners to add their cars to the fleet using the same system nationwide
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. Earlier this year, Tesla discontinued its Autopilot driver-assist feature in the U.S. and Canada, pushing users toward a $99-per-month Full Self-Driving subscription3
. This move came amid the threat of a potential ban in California because the terms were misleading and violated state law.
Source: The Verge
The family's attorney, Chris Adkins, told media outlets that the Barbours are focused on getting to the truth and preventing similar tragedies
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. The lawsuit also cited a 2023 Washington Post analysis identifying at least 17 fatal incidents linked to Tesla's Autopilot, and noted Tesla's documented history of losing, withholding, or making it difficult for attorneys to obtain comprehensive electronic data from vehicles involved in severe collisions1
. Police have confirmed that Butler was not intoxicated and is cooperating with the investigation, though they're still examining whether the automated driving assistance system was actually in use at the time of the crash1
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