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Victim’s family in fatal Texas Tesla ‘automated driving assistance’ crash files lawsuit
NBC News • • business
Key Points:
- The family of Martha Avila, who was killed when a Tesla Model 3 in automated assist mode crashed into her Houston-area home, has filed a lawsuit against Tesla and the driver, Michael Butler, alleging design defects and negligence.
- The crash occurred in Katy, Texas, around 8 p.m. when the Tesla, reportedly in Autopilot mode, crashed through the brick residence, fatally injuring Avila inside her home.
- Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk have not formally commented on the lawsuit, though Musk disputed that the Full Self-Driving mode was responsible, noting the crash involved high speed and driver acceleration.
- The lawsuit cites previous fatal incidents linked to Tesla’s Autopilot system and claims Butler acted with reckless disregard, while Tesla defends the system by stating the driver manually overrode self-driving controls.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a special investigation into the crash, and the family is seeking more than $1 million in damages.
