Man charged with manslaughter over Tesla crash initially blamed on self-driving mode

A man has been arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with a fatal Tesla crash that killed a 76-year-old woman inside her home near Houston. Michael Butler, 44, was taken into custody on Wednesday, with his bail set at $150,000.

The incident occurred on June 19 when Butler's Tesla Model 3 reportedly crashed through the front wall of Martha Avila's home, fatally pinning her. Butler, who was injured in the collision, showed no signs of intoxication and cooperated with investigators. He told deputies he was using the car's self-driving technology, though its role in the crash remains unclear.

Prior to Butler's arrest, Tesla's vice-president of AI software, Ashok Elluswamy, posted on X that the driver "manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100%." Tesla CEO Elon Musk also commented on X, stating it was a "high speed crash."

“

manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in [the] residential area

Texas law defines manslaughter as recklessly causing a death, a felony that can carry a prison sentence of two to 10 years. Lawyers for Avila's family have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both Butler and Tesla, alleging gross negligence and failure to warn about defects in the car's "autopilot" and "full self-driving systems."

The National Transportation Safety Board and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are investigating the crash. This inquiry adds to a growing number of investigations into Tesla crashes involving advanced driver-assistance systems, with nearly 50 special investigations opened by NHTSA since 2016, resulting in about two dozen reported deaths.

“

this was a high speed crash!