A Texas family sued Tesla for a fatal accident at their home

A Texas woman is suing Tesla and the driver for at least $1 million (£759,000) in damages after one of the electric cars crashed into her family, killing her mother.

Jennifer Barbour filed suit in local court Tuesday, days after her 76-year-old mother, Martha Avila, died from her injuries. Tesla Model 3 quickly entered their home.

The Tesla driver told police he was using the car’s autonomous, or “fully self-driving” technology, when the crash occurred.

In the lawsuit, Barbour accuses Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company of flawed design and negligent introduction of unsafe technology, while Musk has denied the technology was to blame on social media.

Tesla was approached to get an opinion.

Musk took to the social media platform he owns to deny the idea that Tesla’s technology was to blame for the crash because it arrived so quickly.

“This makes no sense,” Musk wrote on Monday.

Ashok Eluswami, Tesla’s vice president of AI software, followed up on Musk’s comments with more clarity on the risk.

Elluswamy wrote that the driver was traveling at 73mph (117km/h) and had overridden the car’s self-driving mode by “pressing the speed to 100%”.

He also said that the driver “pushed the accelerator even after the accident”.

Barbour’s complaint, filed with her husband, Justin Barbour, lays out another explanation.

While the car’s technology “failed to recognize the end of the road”, the driver argues that the Tesla was acting in a “reasonably predictable manner”.

In addition to her mother’s death, Barbour said her husband suffered serious and serious physical injuries as a result of the accident.

Financial damages being sought include emotional distress, physical injuries and medical expenses, as well as “exemplary” damages because Tesla’s actions were “grossly negligent.”

The crash is still under investigation by Texas police and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the US government’s auto safety regulator.

Tesla’s self-driving technology has come under intense criticism and scrutiny.

Last week, Democratic Senators Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal He sent a letter., External The agency is asking NHTSA to investigate Tesla’s full self-driving technology over safety concerns.