Tesla driver on autopilot mode crashes into Texas home, kills woman, 76, inside

A driver of a Tesla car engaged in autopilot mode crashed into a house in Texas on the night of Jun. 19 and killed a 76-year-old woman inside.

According to The New York Times (NYT), the driver, Michael Butler, 44, was in a Tesla Model 3 at about 8pm local time.

In a statement on Jun. 20, U.S. authorities from the Harris County Sheriff's Office said Butler was operating the car "with an automated driving assistance system".

In a Facebook post, the victim's daughter shared front-door camera footage, which captured the crash, showing the Tesla crashing into the house.

Struck the residence

U.S. authorities said Butler "failed to drive in a single lane, left the roadway, and struck the residence” at 1907 Blooming Park Lane.

Butler's Tesla reportedly "entered through the brick residence at a high rate of speed" and struck and pinned down Martha Avila, who was inside, said the sheriff's office.

She was taken to the hospital by a medical helicopter, where she was later pronounced dead, reported NYT.

Butler showed no signs of intoxication and was cooperative throughout the investigation, which is still ongoing, said authorities.

Harris County Sheriff’s Office's Alex Turman told ABC13 Houston, "We’re still evaluating what caused that car to fail to control its speed just before this crash".

Unclear how fast Tesla was travelling

According to KHOU11, Avila, a grandmother, was standing inside the front room of the home when the vehicle crashed into the wall.

Avila's daughter, Jennifer Barbour, told KHOU11 that she was in the backyard when she heard a loud boom.

She added, “I don’t know if it’s his fault or the car’s fault or what really happened."

"I’ve never seen a car go that fast.”

KHOU11 reported that Butler was also taken to a hospital.

In multiple Facebook posts, Barbour shared videos showing the aftermath of the crash, with the front room of the home in complete disarray.

Previous issues with autopilot function

Tesla's driver-assistance technology, more commonly known as its autopilot function, has had prior issues.

According to the NYT, Tesla owners' manuals instructs drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and to take over if things go wrong.

Tesla also recalled more than two million vehicles in 2023 after U.S. federal regulators said not enough was done to ensure that drivers remained attentive when using the software.

The recall followed investigations by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that began in August 2021.

In 2024, Tesla also settled a lawsuit over the 2018 death of a California man, which involved the automaker's driver-assistance software.