Family sues Tesla after fatal Model 3 crash into Texas home
Relatives of Martha Avila say Tesla failed to warn drivers about alleged defects in its driver-assistance systems.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
The family of a 76-year-old woman killed when a Tesla Model 3 crashed into her suburban Houston home has sued the automaker for wrongful death. The case adds to scrutiny of Tesla’s driver-assistance technology as federal officials review the crash.
Jennifer Barbour, Avila’s daughter, and her husband, Justin Barbour, filed the complaint Tuesday in Harris County, Texas, state court. They allege Tesla did not properly warn drivers about defects they say exist in its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems.
The lawsuit says Michael Butler, the Model 3 driver, told law enforcement he had turned on Autopilot before the June 19 crash in Katy, Texas. According to the complaint, the car went through the front of Martha Avila’s home and struck her; she later died at a nearby hospital.
Butler is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. It was not clear whether he had an attorney, according to AP and Reuters.
Driver-assistance system disputed
KHOU, the CBS affiliate in Houston, obtained video that it said showed the Model 3 moving quickly across Avila’s front lawn before hitting the home’s front room. The driver told the Harris County Sheriff’s Office that he was using Tesla’s technology at the time, according to AP and Reuters.
Authorities said the driver was not under the influence of alcohol and was cooperating with investigators, according to AP and Reuters.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk challenged the account in a post on X on Monday night, writing that Full Self-Driving “drives slowly through neighbourhood streets” and that the incident was “a high-speed crash.” Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s vice president of AI software, wrote on X that the driver had manually overridden self-driving by pressing the accelerator pedal fully in the residential area.
The Barbours are seeking more than $1m in damages, according to the complaint. The lawsuit also asks for punitive damages, accusing Tesla of showing “reckless disregard” for a serious risk of severe injury.
Federal review under way
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the Katy crash. Since 2016, the agency has opened nearly 50 special investigations into Tesla crashes believed to involve advanced driver-assistance systems, with about two dozen deaths reported, according to AP and Reuters.
In March, NHTSA expanded an inquiry into 3.2 million Tesla vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving over concerns that the system might fail to detect or warn drivers in poor visibility. In 2023, Tesla recalled about two million vehicles, almost all of its electric vehicles then on US roads, to strengthen measures meant to keep drivers attentive while using Autopilot.
Tesla has said Autopilot can steer, accelerate and brake a vehicle within its lane. The company has also said Full Self-Driving can follow traffic signals and change lanes.
Tesla says both systems require a fully attentive driver with hands on the steering wheel. The crash comes as the company is introducing robotaxis using automated software in several US cities this year and plans to allow Tesla owners around the country to add their vehicles to the fleet using the same system, according to AP and Reuters.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.