Tesla car crashes into house: Company says driver overrode autopilot in Texas crash that killed woman - ABC7 San Francisco

Published
June 23, 2026
Outcome
Fatal
Location
Texas, Texas
Katy-area residential neighborhood
View on map
Incident type
Crash

Summary

Car Crash Texas Texas in Texas, Texas: A Tesla traveling at a high rate of speed crashed into a house in a residential neighborhood in Harris County, Texas, on a Friday, killing 71-year-old Martha Avila, who was inside the home's front playroom. The driver told Harris County Sheriff's Department investigators the car was on autopilot, but Tesla's VP of Autopilot stated on X that the driver had manually overridden the system, pressing the accelerator to 100% and reaching 73 mph in a residential area. Avila suffered catastrophic injuries and later died. The NHTSA has opened its own investigation, and no charges had been filed against the driver as of Monday.

Publicly reported parties

Name Role Status
Martha Avila Unknown Fatal
Unnamed Tesla driver At-fault party

Original reporting

Tesla car crashes into house: Company says driver overrode autopilot in Texas crash that killed woman - ABC7 San Francisco

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