A Texas driver has been arrested on a manslaughter charge after his Tesla Model 3 crashed into a suburban Houston home, killing a 76-year-old woman inside on June 19.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced the arrest of 44-year-old Michael Butler on Wednesday. The incident occurred in Katy, Texas, according to The Guardian.
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Jail records show Butler remained in custody Friday morning with a $150,000 bail. A court hearing is tentatively set for July 6.
The vehicle allegedly traveled through the front wall of Martha Avila's residence at around 8 p. m.
local time, trapping her inside. Investigators said Butler cooperated and showed no signs of intoxication at the scene.
The victim's family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both Butler and Tesla.
The civil complaint, filed on June 23, alleges gross negligence and claims the manufacturer failed to warn consumers about defective driver-assistance systems.
Tesla executives disputed claims that the vehicle's automated systems were operating during the crash.
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Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla's vice-president of artificial intelligence software, stated that data showed the driver manually overrode the self-driving features by pressing the accelerator fully.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk also commented on the collision via social media, calling it a high-speed crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have launched independent investigations into the crash.
These federal inquiries add to an expanding review of Tesla's advanced driver-assistance technology.
Since 2016, the NHTSA has initiated nearly 50 special investigations into Tesla crashes linked to driver-assistance systems, resulting in approximately two dozen reported deaths.
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The agency expanded its probe in March over concerns about system performance in low-visibility conditions, following a 2023 recall of 2 million Tesla vehicles to update driver attentiveness safeguards.
