Investigators are looking into a tragic crash in Texas that claimed the life of a 76-year-old woman. While the driver of the Tesla Model 3 claimed that Autopilot was active at the time of the crash, surveillance video of the incident shows that likely wasn’t the case.
The crash occurred Friday evening in Katy, Texas, when a Model 3 left the roadway and slammed into a brick home at high speed. Martha Avila, who was inside the house at the time, later died from her injuries.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, driver Michael Butler told investigators that an automated driver-assistance system was engaged when the crash occurred. Authorities said Butler was not impaired and has been cooperating with the investigation.
However, video footage shared online purportedly by the victim’s son shows the vehicle traveling at an extremely high rate of speed before leaving the roadway and crashing directly into the home. Witnesses also described the car as moving unusually fast moments before impact.
Looks like they deleted the video, but the internet is forever. pic.twitter.com/6KLLEFSbuR
— Drive Tesla 🇨🇦 (@DriveTeslaca) June 22, 2026
“We’re still evaluating what caused that car to fail to control its speed just before this crash,” Sgt. A. Turman said. “We’ve asked people who are familiar with Teslas, as well as the driver involved in the car, to see what role the driver’s control over the car played in this crash.”
While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a Special Crash Investigation, there is currently no evidence indicating Autopilot itself caused the collision.
Although investigators have not released a cause, the more likely cause is pedal misapplication, as has been the case in similar incidents involving claims of sudden acceleration. Numerous studies and investigations over the years have found that cases initially blamed on vehicle defects often stemmed from drivers inadvertently pressing the accelerator instead of the brake.
For now, investigators are still gathering evidence, including vehicle data, and no conclusions have been reached. The loss of Martha Avila has understandably left her family searching for answers, but the publicly available footage suggests the driver’s assertion that Autopilot was responsible should be treated cautiously until the investigation is complete.
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