Tesla pushes back on Autopilot narrative after fatal Texas crash
Tesla disputes claims that Autopilot caused a fatal crash in Texas, stating the driver manually pressed the accelerator pedal fully before the impact.
A fatal weekend crash in Katy, Texas, where a Tesla Model 3 crashed into a brick home, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila, has ignited controversy over the company's self-driving technology. The driver, Michael Butler, initially told deputies the vehicle was on Autopilot. However, Tesla broke its usual silence on Monday to offer a different account.
Ashok Elluswamy, director of Tesla's Autopilot software, wrote on X that the driver had manually overridden the self-driving system by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100% in a residential area, reaching 73 mph during the crash, and continuing to press the pedal after the crash. Elon Musk amplified the message, stating that Full Self-Driving (FSD) drives slowly through neighborhoods, making a high-speed crash unlikely under its control.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it would open a special crash investigation, one of over 40 probes into Tesla crashes involving advanced driver-assistance systems. The Harris County Sheriff's Office said it would present findings to the district attorney for potential criminal charges. The exact role of Autopilot—whether active, overridden, or malfunctioning—will be determined after a thorough analysis of the vehicle's data logs.
