Tesla driver uses Autopilot to crash into Texas home, killing woman, officials say

A Tesla driver engaged in automatic driver assistance mode crashed into a home in Texas Friday night, killing a woman inside, authorities said.

The driver, Michael Butler, was in the Tesla Model 3 around 8 p.m. local time and was operating the car “with an automated driver assistance system,” the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Saturday.

The accident happened in Katy, Texas, about 30 miles west of Houston in Harris County.

Mr. Butler “failed to maintain a single lane, left the roadway and struck a residence” at 1907 Blooming Park Lane, authorities said.

His Tesla “passed through the brick residence at a high rate of speed” and struck Martha Avila, who was inside, according to the sheriff’s office.

The authority said Ms. Avila was taken by medical helicopter to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Investigators said Mr. Butler showed no signs of intoxication and was cooperative during the ongoing investigation.

A video camera on the front door that captured the crash showed the Tesla crashing into the house through the driveway. It was unclear how fast the Tesla was going.

“We’re still evaluating what caused that car to lose speed just prior to this crash,” Sgt. Alex Turman of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office he told ABC13 Houston.

He said Ms Avila, 76, was standing in the front room of the house at the time.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to questions about the crash Sunday.

Efforts to reach Mr. Butler for comment were not immediately successful Sunday. It was not immediately clear if he suffered any injuries in the crash. Tesla did not respond to questions about the crash and its software.

Autopilot, Tesla’s driver-assistance technology, is a popular feature among drivers, but it has struggled over the years.

Tesla owner’s manuals tell drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and take over if something goes wrong.

In 2023, Tesla recalled more than two million vehicles after federal regulators said the automaker didn’t do enough to ensure drivers stayed alert while using software that can steer, accelerate and brake cars automatically.

The recall came after an investigation into the driver assistance system that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened in August 2021 following a series of crashes, some of which were fatal, involving the technology.