Tesla driver charged with manslaughter over crash into Texas home
Investigators say vehicle data showed Michael David Butler overrode Tesla’s driver-assistance system, and the victim’s family has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit.
- Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced manslaughter charges against 44-year-old Michael Butler on Wednesday for the June 19, 2026, crash that killed 76-year-old Martha Avila inside her Katy home.
- Butler initially claimed his Tesla Model 3 was on Autopilot when the vehicle crashed, but Tesla officials disputed this, stating he manually overrode the system, reached 73 mph, and pressed the accelerator 100%.
- Seeking more than $1 million in damages, Martha Avila's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit accusing Butler and Tesla of negligence, design defects, and failure to warn consumers about system risks.
- Authorities booked Butler into the Harris County Jail on Wednesday, with the Harris County Sheriff's Office noting he showed no signs of intoxication and cooperated with responding deputies.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a special crash investigation into the incident, continuing years of federal scrutiny regarding Tesla's Autopilot and advanced driver-assistance systems.
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The Tesla executive claims the vehicle was in self-driving mode at the time of the accident.
Driver charged with manslaughter after Tesla crashes into Texas home, kills grandmother
Tesla Model 3 driver Michael David Butler faces manslaughter charges after a crash in Katy, Texas, killed a 76-year-old woman. He claims the car was in Full Self-Driving mode.
Tesla driver charged with manslaughter over crash into Texas home
A Texas man has been charged with manslaughter after driving a Tesla operating with its automated driving assistance system into a suburban Houston home, killing a 76-year-old grandmother, court papers show.
Tesla driver faces manslaughter charges over Texas crash that killed a woman inside her home
The man whose Tesla struck and killed a woman inside her Texas home last month is now facing manslaughter charges, as reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal and local news outlet KHOU 11. 44-year-old Michael Butler was arrested on Wednesday and claimed to have been driving his Model 3 using Tesla's Full-Self Driving (FSD) system at the time of the crash, according to an arrest affidavit. The court document includes the officer saying that d…
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