Tesla allegedly in self-driving mode crashes into Texas home, killing woman

Key takeaways:

A 76-year-old Texas woman, Martha Avila, died after a Tesla Model 3 crashed into her home while allegedly using an automated driving assistance system.
Investigators said driver Michael Butler left the lane, exited the road, and hit the brick residence at high speed in Katy, Texas.
The crash comes as the NHTSA investigates millions of Tesla vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving technology over safety concerns and reported incidents.

Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.

A Texas woman was killed after a Tesla Model 3 crashed into her home while allegedly using a self-driving feature, according to investigators.

The driver, Michael Butler, left the lane, exited the roadway, and crashed into the brick residence around 8 p.m. local time in Katy, Texas. His Tesla Model 3 was being operated "with an automated driving assistance system", the Harris County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

The crash killed Martha Avila, 76, who was inside her home at the time.

"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.

Avila was airlifted to the nearby hospital, where she later died due to her injuries.

Neighbours witnessed the event – several reported seeing the Tesla speeding before it left the roadway, while one person said that the driver appeared to be screaming.

“We saw a car flying by down the street,” one neighbor said. “All we saw was them going about 60 to 70 miles per hour. Next thing we know, we hear it hit that curb in that driveway and it ran into the house.”

The crash forced Avila's family to temporarily relocate to a hotel as the house sustained significant damage, according to local neighbours.

Investigators said that Butler, who was taken to the hospital due to his injuries, showed no signs of intoxication and was cooperating with the officers.

The Texas crash comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigates approximately 3.2 million Tesla vehicles with Full Self-Driving ‌driver-assistance technology over concerns about its performance in poor visibility conditions.

The agency is opening an engineering analysis, which is required before it can seek a recall. According to NHTSA, there are reports of nine incidents potentially tied to deficiencies in Tesla’s camera-based system, including one fatal crash and two injury crashes.

In October, it launched a separate investigation into 2.88 ⁠million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD following more than 50 reports of traffic safety violations and a series of crashes.

Just earlier this week, Dutch authorities said that their decision to approve Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology was based on their independent testing, expert review, and real-world driving data. This came after accusations that Tesla presented misleading safety data to get the approval.