Home / Disasters and Accidents / Man Charged After Tesla FSD Kills Grandmother
Man Charged After Tesla FSD Kills Grandmother
3 Jul
Summary
- A Texas man faces manslaughter charges in a fatal Tesla crash.
- The crash involved a Tesla operating in Full Self-Driving mode.
- The victim was a 76-year-old grandmother killed in the incident.
A fatal incident occurred last month in Katy, Texas, where a 44-year-old man, Michael David Butler, was charged with manslaughter. His Tesla Model 3, reportedly in Full Self-Driving mode, crashed into a home, resulting in the death of a 76-year-old grandmother, Martha Avila.
Butler told authorities he was making a DoorDash delivery when he "passed out" after attempting to change music on the vehicle's touchscreen. Court documents indicate the car was traveling at 73 miles per hour, more than double the speed limit, and did not brake in the minute before impact.
Tesla executives, including CEO Elon Musk, have contested Butler's account. They stated that vehicles in Full Self-Driving mode typically drive slowly in neighborhoods and suggested Butler manually overrode the system by accelerating. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the crash.
This incident is part of a broader investigation into nearly 50 Tesla crashes since 2016 believed to involve advanced driver assistance systems, which have reportedly caused about two dozen deaths. Avila's family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla, alleging negligence and failure to warn about defects in the self-driving systems.
