The family of a 76-year-old Texas woman is taking Tesla to court after a driver using the company’s automated driving assistance feature crashed a Model 3 into her suburban Houston home, killing her, according to attorneys representing the family.
A complaint filed Tuesday names Tesla as liable for the wrongful death of Martha Avila, alleging the company showed gross negligence and failed to adequately warn consumers that its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems were defective.
Avila’s daughter, Jennifer Barbour, and her husband, Justin Barbour, stated that the Model 3’s driver, Michael Butler, told law enforcement he had turned on Autopilot before the vehicle crashed through the front wall of Avila’s home in Katy, Texas, on June 19, trapping her inside. She later died at a nearby hospital. Justin Barbour also reported sustaining injuries in the crash.
The lawsuit, filed in Harris County state court in Texas, is seeking more than $1 million in damages along with punitive damages, citing what it describes as Tesla’s “reckless disregard for a substantial risk of severe bodily injury.”
Tesla and its CEO did not respond to requests for comment. However, the CEO posted on X Monday evening stating, “FSD drives slowly through neighborhood streets and this was a high speed crash!”
Tesla’s vice president of AI software posted separately on X, claiming “the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating the crash. Since 2016, the agency has launched nearly 50 special investigations into Tesla crashes believed to involve advanced driver assistance systems, with approximately two dozen deaths reported across those cases.
This past March, the NHTSA expanded its probe to cover 3.2 million Tesla vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving, citing concerns the system may not properly detect hazards or warn drivers in low-visibility conditions. In 2023, Tesla also recalled roughly 2 million vehicles — nearly its entire U.S. fleet — to strengthen measures ensuring drivers remain attentive while using Autopilot.
Tesla has described Autopilot as a system that handles steering, acceleration, and braking within a lane, while Full Self-Driving is designed to respond to traffic signals and perform lane changes. The company has maintained that both systems require drivers to remain fully alert with their hands on the wheel at all times.
Michael Butler is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. It is unclear whether he has legal representation, and efforts to contact him were unsuccessful. The Barbour family’s attorneys did not provide additional comment when contacted.
