A Texas man has been formally charged with manslaughter after authorities allege his Tesla vehicle collided with a residence last month, leading to the death of a 76-year-old grandmother.
Court documents indicate that Michael David Butler, 44, informed investigators he was operating a Tesla Model 3 with a driver-assistance system activated when the incident occurred on June 19, impacting Martha Avila's home in Katy. He later reportedly told paramedics the vehicle was on "Autopilot," according to an affidavit. Tesla has since contested this assertion.
Avila was inside her residence when the vehicle crashed through its side. She was transported by Life Flight to a local hospital, where she was subsequently pronounced deceased.
Butler was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with manslaughter, as confirmed by the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Details of the Crash and Investigation
According to an arrest affidavit, Butler told investigators he was performing a DoorDash delivery at the time of the crash. He claimed he was adjusting music on the Tesla's touchscreen before he "passed out."
The affidavit further alleges that the vehicle accelerated to 73 mph, which is more than double the posted speed limit for the area. Investigators also noted that the brake pedal was not engaged during the minutes preceding the collision.
The sheriff's office stated that Butler failed to maintain a single lane of travel, veering off the roadway before crashing into the side of the home.
Ring doorbell camera footage captured the vehicle striking the house at a high rate of speed. The affidavit also states that Butler denied experiencing any illness or consuming alcohol or drugs before the crash.
Tesla's Counter-Narrative and Family Lawsuit
Tesla has challenged Butler's account of the incident. Elon Musk, the company's CEO, stated that a vehicle operating in Full Self-Driving mode would navigate residential streets slowly. Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla's head of AI, further clarified that Butler manually overrode the system by fully pressing the accelerator.
"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," Elluswamy wrote in a public post.
Reports from KHOU-TV indicate that Butler appeared in probable cause court on Thursday, where his bail was set at $150,000. As part of his release conditions, he was ordered to wear an ankle monitor and prohibited from driving.
Last week, Avila's family initiated a lawsuit against Tesla. Their legal action contends that her death resulted from the company's gross negligence and its failure to adequately warn consumers about alleged defects in its self-driving systems.
