A driver who was using Tesla’s Autopilot when he crashed through a home and killed a grandmother has been arrested after the electric car maker said their data shows he floored the gas pedal himself and “manually overrode” the self-driving feature.
Michael Butler, 44, was charged with manslaughter after he plowed his Tesla into a Katy, Texas, home at more than 70 miles per hour last month, killing Martha Ávila, 76, as she was putting away groceries, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.
Butler, who is also being sued by Ávila’s family for the incident, allegedly drove the Tesla Model 3 off the road, over a lawn and through the front of Ávila’s brick home on June 19, leaving a gaping hole, dramatic footage shows.
Ávila was pinned and suffered severe injuries. She was airlifted to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead, KHOU reported.
Butler, who also suffered serious injuries, told investigators that he had the vehicle’s self-driving system engaged when he crashed, investigators said.
However, Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s head of AI, claimed the self-driving mode was manually overridden by pressing the accelerator all the way “even after the crash.”
“In this case, the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area,” he posted on X.
“They reached a speed of 73 mph during the crash, and had the accelerator pressed even after the crash.”
Ávila’s family, who was forced to relocate due to the severe damage to the home, has filed a lawsuit against both Butler and Tesla, claiming that both Butler’s actions and Tesla’s driver-assistance technology were factors in the deadly crash, KHOU reported.
Investigators have said there was no indication Butler was intoxicated.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
