Texas Driver Charged with Manslaughter After Tesla Crash Kills Resident
ABC News reported that a Houston driver was arrested on manslaughter charges after his Tesla Model 3 crashed into a house in Katy, Texas, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila. The crash occurred at night when the vehicle, operating in driver-assistance mode, left the road and struck the residence, according to early reports from Yahoo and NBC News. Police said the driver, Michael Butler, was injured and taken to a hospital, while the victim was air-lifted to Memorial Hermann, as detailed by local emergency responders. Investigators from Harris County examined whether the car’s Autopilot or Full Self-Driving system was engaged, noting that the driver claimed the system was active, per statements reported by ABC13 and The New York Times. The county constable’s office found no signs of intoxication in the driver, a detail highlighted by The New York Times. Tesla later asserted that Butler manually accelerated to full throttle, overriding the Full Self-Driving system, a claim reported by TechCrunch and Electrek.
The company said the system was active but the driver pressed the accelerator, causing the vehicle to reach about 73 mph, according to its statement. Federal investigators opened a special probe into the incident, as noted by TechCrunch. The victim’s family filed a lawsuit against both Tesla and the driver, alleging design defects and negligence, according to NBC News and Ars Technica. Senator Richard Blumenthal called for a swift NHTSA investigation following the fatal crash, as reported by NBC News. Prosecutors in Harris County formally indicted Butler on a manslaughter count, citing his override of the Full Self-Driving system, per the indictment described by The New York Times and Fox News. The indictment marked the first criminal charge linked to a Tesla operating in autopilot mode, according to the coverage.
