Tesla Disputes Autopilot Claim in Fatal Katy, Texas Crash
Summary
Car Crash Katy Texas in Katy, Texas: A Tesla Model 3 crashed through the brick front of a home in Katy, Texas on the evening of June 20, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila. The driver, Michael Butler, told Harris County sheriff's deputies that Autopilot had been engaged at the time. Tesla executives publicly shared vehicle telemetry on X before investigators independently reviewed the data recorder, with VP of AI software Ashok Elluswamy posting that the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator to 100% and that the vehicle reached 73 mph. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a special crash investigation into the incident.
Publicly reported parties
| Name | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Martha Avila | Driver | Fatal |
| Michael Butler | Driver | Fatal |
Original reporting
Tesla Disputes Autopilot Claim in Fatal Katy, Texas Crash | AI Weekly