Family of woman killed after Tesla crashes into her home sues company, driver – National
The family of a 76-year-old Texas woman who died after a Tesla on autopilot crashed into her home is suing the company and the driver involved in the fatal crash.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said a man, identified as Michael Butler, drove into the front room of a residence and pinned the female resident, identified as Martha Avila, who was pronounced deceased.
Butler told police that the vehicle was on autopilot at the time of the crash.
On Tuesday, Avila’s daughter, Jennifer Barbour, and her husband, Justin Barbour, filed a lawsuit in Harris County District Court, alleging a “design defect” involving Tesla and a failure to warn, according to NBC News, ABC News and the Houston Chronicle.
Global News has not independently viewed the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also alleges negligence against Tesla and the car’s driver, Butler, as a defendant, according to the outlets.
Avila’s family alleges the Tesla was in autopilot mode and that the system has “a history of known danger,” NBC News reports.
The lawsuit reportedly cites a 2023 Washington Post analysis of government data that “identified at least 17 fatal incidents linked to Tesla’s Autopilot,” according to the lawsuit, obtained by NBC News.
Global News has reached out to the Barbour’s lawyers for further comment but has not received a response.
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“The actions and inactions of Defendant Butler were done with reckless disregard for a substantial risk of severe bodily injury,” the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit seeks more than US$1 million in damages.
Investigators said Butler was driving a Tesla Model 3 when he failed to maintain a single lane, left the roadway and crashed into the residence, according to a news release from police.
Butler’s Tesla entered through the brick residence at a high rate of speed and struck Avila, who was inside, police said.
Police said that the woman was taken by a medical helicopter to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
The sheriff’s office said Butler showed no signs of intoxication and was co-operative during the investigation, according to the news release.
When Global News reached out to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for further comment, it said that this remains “an active and open investigation.”
“Once all evidence has been gathered, it will be presented to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to determine whether charges are appropriate,” the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk appeared to address the reports of the crash on Monday, writing on X, “This makes no sense. FSD (Full Self-Driving) drives slowly through neighborhood streets and this was a high-speed crash!”
Ashok Elluswamy, vice-president of Auto-Pilot for Tesla, also commented on the crash on X, writing, “Yup. In this case, the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accelerator pedal in this residential area. They reached a speed of 73 mph during the crash, and had the accelerator pressed even after the crash.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Global News that it has launched a special investigation into the crash.
Global News has reached out to Tesla for further comment but has not received a response.
Avila’s daughter posted surveillance video of the crash on Facebook, writing, “This is the car flying into my home. My mom didn’t deserve this.”
Barbour also shared a GoFundMe page set up for the family following the incident.
“On the day of June 19th, our family experienced a devastating tragedy when a vehicle crashed into my aunt’s home, destroying most of the house. My grandmother, Martha Avila, who was inside at the time, tragically lost her life,” Avila’s granddaughter Kelly Avila wrote in the page description.
“The home is now uninhabitable and under investigation, forcing our family into temporary housing while they cope with this unimaginable loss. We are raising funds to help cover emergency living expenses, funeral costs, and the rebuilding process as our family begins to recover,” the description added.
The GoFundMe post had raised more than USD$33,000 of its $35,000 goal from more than 390 donations as of Wednesday afternoon.
In 2023, Tesla recalled nearly all vehicles sold in the U.S. to update software and fix a defective system that’s supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when using autopilot.
Documents posted by U.S. safety regulators said the update would increase warnings and alerts to drivers and even limit the areas where basic versions of autopilot can operate.
The recall came after a two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into a series of crashes that happened while the autopilot partially automated driving system was in use.
—with files from The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
