NHTSA Opens Special Crash Investigation Into Fatal Texas Tesla Crash

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a formal inquiry on Monday into a fatal crash involving a Tesla Model 3 that occurred on June 19 in Texas. The vehicle left the roadway around 20:00 local time and struck a residence after failing to turn right at an intersection, according to a Harris County Sheriff's Office police report.

The driver told investigators the car was operating with an automated driving assistance system at the time.

Police said the driver was not intoxicated and was cooperating with the investigation. A 76-year-old woman inside the home was struck and taken to a hospital, where she died of her injuries, Sergeant Alex Turman of the Harris County Sheriff's Office said. The driver was also taken to a hospital.

"We're still evaluating what caused the car to fail to control its speed just before this crash," Turman said. NHTSA described the inquiry as a special crash investigation, its most in-depth form of review. Such investigations gather data on emerging vehicle technologies to assess safety performance.

A Tesla representative did not respond to a request for comment. The agency expanded an investigation earlier this year into Tesla's full self-driving technology over its performance in inclement weather. Last week Democratic Senators Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to NHTSA demanding further scrutiny of the system.

Waymo recently recalled thousands of its vehicles in Texas after they failed to avoid flooded roads.