Victim’s family in fatal Texas Tesla ‘automated driving assistance’ crash files lawsuit

Attorneys for Martha Avila’s family said the Tesla was in “Autopilot” mode when the speeding car crashed into the 76-year-old woman’s home, killing her.

The family of a woman who was killed when a Tesla in an automated assist mode crashed into her Houston-area home has sued Tesla and the person behind the wheel, attorneys said Tuesday.

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The suit, filed by 76-year-old Martha Avila’s daughter Jennifer Barbour and her husband, Justin Barbour, in Harris County District Court, alleges a “design defect” involving Tesla and a failure to warn. It alleges negligence against both Tesla and the driver, Michael Butler.

Avila was in her home in Katy, a Houston suburb, at around 8 p.m. Friday when a Tesla Model 3 crashed into her brick residence, according to officials.