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Tesla Faces Lawsuit Over Texas Crash That Killed Homeowner
A 76-year-old woman died when a Tesla Model 3 struck her suburban Texas home. The driver said Tesla driver-assistance features were active, and the woman's family has sued both the driver and the company.
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A Tesla Model 3 struck a suburban Texas home at a reported speed of more than 70 miles per hour last week, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila. The driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, told police that Tesla driver-assistance features were engaged at the time.
Police reported no signs of intoxication. Avila's family filed suit Tuesday in Harris County District Court against both Butler and Tesla. The complaint alleges that Full Self-Driving (Supervised), also called FSD, was defective and played a role in the death.
A Florida jury last year found that a driver using an earlier Tesla system bore most responsibility for a fatal crash but assigned the company one-third of the liability, ordering $243 million in damages. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation last fall into more than 40 incidents involving FSD failing to follow traffic laws.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday it had opened a joint probe with the Harris County Sheriff's Office. The safety agency confirmed it is also examining the crash. A lawyer for Avila's family stated the relatives are "understandably devastated" and want to determine what happened to prevent future incidents.
