Family sues Tesla for wrongful death in Autopilot crash in Texas, US | Stories about Elon Musk

Lawsuits claim Tesla’s Autopilot deficiencies caused fatal crash; The family is seeking $1m in damages and punitive damages.

The family of a Texas woman who was killed has filed a lawsuit against Tesla after the Model 3’s self-driving car crashed into a Houston home last week.

The complaint, which was filed on Tuesday, says that Tesla should be held responsible for the death of Martha Avila, 76. The family says that the automaker, led by Elon Musk, failed to adequately warn drivers about the alleged flaws in the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems.

Avila’s daughter, Jennifer Barbour, and her husband, Justin Barbour, said the driver of the Model 3, Michael Butler, told police he engaged Autopilot before crashing into the front wall of Avila’s home in Katy, Texas, United States, on June 19, pinning him down before he was admitted to a nearby hospital.

Video obtained by KHOU — Houston’s CBS affiliate — shows the car speeding down the front porch of Avila’s Houston home before crashing into the front room.

The driver told the Harris County Sheriff’s Office that he was using technology at the time of the crash. The driver in the incident was not under the influence of alcohol and is cooperating with authorities.

Butler is also charged in the Barbours case. It is not known if he has an attorney.

Musk, the world’s richest man, wrote on X on Monday night: “FSD moves slowly on local roads and this was a high-speed accident!”

Ashok Elluswamy, vice president of the AI ​​program at Tesla, wrote on X in response, saying “the driver drove himself and pushed the accelerator up to 100% of the accel pedal in the seat.”

The lawsuit filed in Harris County, Texas, state court seeks damages in excess of $1m, as well as damages that demonstrate Tesla’s alleged “reckless disregard for the risk of serious injury”.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) he has been searching damage.

Since 2016, NHTSA has opened nearly 50 separate investigations into Tesla crashes that are believed to involve advanced driver assistance systems. At least a dozen people have died.

In March, NHTSA expanded its investigation into the 3.2 million Teslas equipped with Full Self-Driving, citing concerns that the systems may fail to detect or warn drivers who are not seeing well. In 2023, Tesla recalled nearly two million vehicles, nearly all of its electric vehicles on US roads, to ensure that drivers are paying attention when using Autopilot.

Tesla said Autopilot helps cars steer, accelerate and brake on their own roads, while Full Self-Driving allows cars to listen to traffic signals and change lanes.

The automaker has also said that all of these technologies require “adequate attention” from drivers with their hands on the wheel.

The event comes as Musk’s company is rolling out robotaxis using self-driving software in several US cities this year and plans to invite Tesla owners across the country to put their cars in fleets using the same system.