Tesla Model 3 Crashes into House at High Speed, Killing 76-Year-Old Woman; Driver Claims Autopilot Was Engaged

On the evening of June 19, 2024, a traffic accident occurred in Katy, Texas, when a Tesla Model 3 veered out of its lane and crashed through the brick wall of a residential home at approximately 73 miles per hour. The collision caused severe structural damage to the house and resulted in the death of a 76-year-old female resident. The driver, Michael Butler, stated that the vehicle’s Autopilot advanced driver-assistance system was engaged at the time of the crash. However, Tesla indicated that vehicle data showed the driver had manually overridden the Autopilot function. On-site testing revealed no signs of alcohol or drug impairment, and the driver cooperated with police investigators. The victim’s family has since filed a lawsuit against both the driver and Tesla, alleging negligence. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are jointly investigating the incident and are expected to request Tesla to provide relevant vehicle logs to reconstruct the sequence of events.