The driver of a Tesla Model 3 that crashed into a Katy home last month, killing an elderly woman, has been charged with manslaughter, records show.
Michael Butler, 44, was booked into the Harris County Jail Wednesday and charged with manslaughter, records show. His first appearance in court is set for Monday.
Martha Avila, 76, died after a Tesla Model 3 carrying Butler crashed into the family’s home on June 19. Avila’s family, Jennifer and Justin Barbour, filed a civil lawsuit against Tesla and Butler on June 24. That same week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched a special investigation into the crash.
See here, here, and here for the background. This is all the new information in the Chronicle story, but Click2Houston has a bit more detail.
Investigators have been working to determine whether Tesla’s driver assistance technology played any role in the deadly crash while also examining Butler’s actions leading up to the collision.
According to investigators, Butler initially told deputies the Tesla was operating on Autopilot at the time of the crash. However, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office later said Tesla provided vehicle data indicating Butler had overridden the system before the collision.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez also said investigators have not found any evidence of a mechanical malfunction with the Tesla so far.
I don’t feel like I have enough information to draw any conclusions yet, so let’s just leave this as is and see what else we find out in the coming days. Perhaps the court hearing on Monday will tell us something. ABC13 and Houston Public Media have more.