Daily Mail
Video shows moment Tesla driver using autopilot BARRELS through Texas brick house killing a Grandma inside her home
By SOPHIA BAUM
Published: 14:58 EDT, 21 June 2026 | Updated: 06:15 EDT, 22 June 2026
An elderly woman was killed in her own living room on Friday after a Tesla, allegedly in self-driving mode, plowed through her suburban Texas home.
Martha Avila, 76, died on June 19, after 44-year-old Michael Butler's Tesla veered off a quiet residential road in Katy, Texas, while Autopilot mode was activated, before penetrating the front of the house, according to KHOU.
Butler was traveling in his Tesla Model 3 around 8 p.m. local time in Katy, Texas, and was operating the vehicle 'with an automated driving assistance system,' according to the Harris County Sherriff's office.
The family home was occupied by two parents, three young children and Avila at the time of the crash.
'She (Avila) didn't deserve to go this way,' the grief-stricken family told KHOU.
Doorbell footage uploaded to X revealed the harrowing moment the Tesla veered off the road and onto Avila's property after crossing an intersection, barreling full speed towards the home.
The vehicle slammed through the brick exterior of the property with such force that it ended up in the playroom.
The video also caught the loud screech the car emitted as it crashed into the home.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene where Life Flight airlifted Avila to hospital, and was later pronounced dead after life-saving measures were performed.
Avila's family shared photos of her with KHOU 11, telling the news outlet they are still grappling with what has happened.
Her husband Justin Barbour relayed that he was cooking at the stove 30 seconds before the fatal crash.
Jennifer Barbour, Avila's daughter, told KHOU she was in the backyard when she heard a loud boom.
According to the outlet, Barbour frantically found her husband and three children, but after the dust and smoke settled, she discovered her mother had been struck.
'My three kids were at my neighbor's when we went to the hospital to check on my mom," Barbour said. 'And then they told us they couldn't save her.'
Barbour also described the moment she had to inform the children that their Grandma was gone.
'I'm still wearing the same clothes from yesterday.' Barbour said, adding that the family is currently staying in a hotel.
Butler also sustained injuries in the crash but is still alive after being taken to hospital by ambulance.
Investigators have stated that Butler showed no signs of intoxication and is co-operating fully with authorities.
Harris County Sherriff’s Office Sgt. Alex Turman, an accident investigator and public information officer, told ABC's Alex Presha that the cause of the crash has not been determined.
'We’re digging into that. That’s a line of investigation for sure,' Turman responded, when asked whether the vehicle’s automated driving features were in use.
Turman added that investigators are working with people familiar with Tesla vehicles and with the driver to determine 'what role the driver’s control over the car played in this crash.'
Tesla’s controversial 'Autopilot' feature, despite its name, is not a fully self-driving system and still requires constant driver supervision.
Critics argue the branding is dangerously misleading, lulling motorists into a false sense of security, who may assume the car is capable of driving itself.
However, online spectators remain unconvinced about the lack of responsibility adopted by Butler.
'Autopilot will adjust to the speed limits of the street unless you intentionally speed the car up.' One said.
'Autopilot at that speed in a residential area… Riiiiight…' added another skeptic.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Harris County Sherriff's office and Tesla for comment.
This is not the first incident involving Teslas in Texas in recent months.
In April, a driver reported that his Tesla randomly accelerated through a railroad gate, only narrowly missing a fast approaching train.
A year prior, NHTSA launched an investigation into roughly 2.9 million Tesla vehicles over 'Full Self-Driving' running red lights and driving the wrong way, and the agency upgraded that probe in March 2026 to an engineering analysis.
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