Tesla Driver Fatally Crashes into Home After Slamming Accelerator

On June 19, 2024, a fatal traffic accident occurred in Katy, Texas, USA. Michael Butler was driving a Tesla Model 3 when he veered into a residential neighborhood, crashing through a house and killing the homeowner, Avila. Following the incident, Butler was arrested by local police on July 2 and charged with manslaughter. According to the arrest affidavit released by police, Butler claimed that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system was engaged at the time of the crash. However, investigators confirmed through data from the vehicle’s “black box” and onboard video footage that, approximately six seconds before impact, Butler continuously pressed the accelerator pedal all the way to 100%, accelerating the car to 117 km/h—far exceeding the posted speed limit for the residential street. During this period, the brake pedal was never depressed. The vehicle ultimately mounted the curb, became airborne, and struck the front of the house. Ashok Elluswamy, head of AI at Tesla, stated that the driver’s act of pressing the accelerator pedal overrides the FSD system’s speed control. Butler told emergency responders and hospital staff that the vehicle was in autonomous mode at the time, and that he had been switching music tracks and checking the navigation screen while delivering for DoorDash when he lost consciousness. Hospital toxicology tests detected no alcohol or drugs in his system. Police also discovered multiple Google search queries on Butler’s phone from May 2024, including phrases such as “Tesla FSD not aggressive enough” and “FSD not aggressive enough on city roads.” Some of these search terms contained spelling errors and were repeated multiple times. Avila’s family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both Tesla and Butler. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have both launched investigations into the incident.