The US government has opened a second federal investigation into a Tesla crash that killed a Texas woman, after the driver reportedly told authorities he had driver-assistance technology engaged before the incident.
Crash details and investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced on Wednesday it was launching an investigation into the June 19 crash that killed 76-year-old Martha Avila in the Houston suburb of Katy. This follows a separate probe opened two days earlier by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
According to the Harris County sheriff's department, the driver, Michael Butler, stated he was using a driver-assistance system at the time of the crash. The vehicle, a Tesla Model 3, plowed through the front wall of Avila's home, fatally pinning her. She later died at a nearby hospital. Justin Barbour, Avila's son-in-law, was also injured.
Lawsuit against Tesla
Lawyers for Avila's family filed a civil complaint on Tuesday in Texas state court, seeking more than $1 million in damages plus punitive damages. The lawsuit alleges gross negligence and failure to warn that Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems were defective. The plaintiffs, Avila's daughter Jennifer Barbour and her husband Justin Barbour, claim Butler told law enforcement he engaged Autopilot before the crash.
The lawsuit asserts Tesla's "reckless disregard for a substantial risk of severe bodily injury." Tesla and Elon Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tesla's defense and federal scrutiny
On Monday night, Musk defended Tesla on X, writing: "FSD drives slowly through neighborhood streets and this was a high speed crash!" Tesla's vice-president of AI software, Ashok Elluswamy, posted that "the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area."
The NTSB's announcement did not specify the focus of its investigation, only stating it was opened "in coordination with the Harris county sheriff's department." Federal regulators have increased scrutiny of Tesla in recent years. Since 2016, NHTSA has opened nearly 50 special investigations into Tesla crashes believed to involve advanced driver-assistance systems, with about two dozen deaths reported from those crashes.
In March, NHTSA escalated its investigation into 3.2 million Teslas equipped with Full Self-Driving, citing concerns the system may fail to detect or warn drivers in poor visibility. Tesla in 2023 recalled about 2 million cars to improve driver attention monitoring. Tesla has stated that both Autopilot and Full Self-Driving require "fully attentive" drivers with hands on the wheel.
The Barbours' lawsuit also names Butler as a defendant. It is unclear whether he has legal representation. Efforts to reach him were unsuccessful.
