Texas man charged with manslaughter after Tesla crash kills grandmother

A Texas man has been charged with manslaughter after his vehicle struck a suburban Houston home, killing a 76-year-old woman, court papers show. Michael David Butler, 44, told police he was operating his Model 3 in Full Self-Driving mode on June 19 when the car entered Martha Avila’s home in Katy, Texas.

Avila died later at a nearby hospital. According to an arrest affidavit, Butler said he was making a delivery run when he changed music on the vehicle’s touch screen and then passed out. The car reached 73 miles per hour, more than double the posted limit, and the brake pedal was not used in the minute before impact.

Investigation and company response Butler denied feeling ill before the crash, and tests found no alcohol or common street drugs in his system, the affidavit said. A lawyer for Butler and county prosecutors did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The company has disputed Butler’s account. A company executive said a vehicle in Full Self-Driving mode drives slowly through neighborhood streets, while a software vice president said Butler manually overrode that mode by pressing the accelerator. Butler appeared in probable cause court on Thursday, where bail was set at $150,000 with requirements that he wear an ankle monitor and not drive, according to local television reports.

Prior federal scrutiny The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigating the crash. Since 2016 the agency has opened nearly 50 special investigations of similar crashes believed to involve advanced driver assistance systems, with about two dozen deaths reported.

The company has said its Autopilot system enables vehicles to steer, accelerate, and brake within their lanes, while Full Self-Driving allows vehicles to obey traffic signals and change lanes. Both systems require fully attentive drivers, it has said.