Texas Man Charged With Manslaughter in Fatal Tesla Crash That Killed Woman Inside Home
Charging documents show the driver overrode FSD and pressed the accelerator to 100 percent moments before impact.
A Texas man has been arrested and charged with manslaughter after his Tesla crashed into a home, striking and killing a woman inside. The driver, Michael Butler, claimed the vehicle was in self-driving mode at the time of the crash, but data from Tesla shows he overrode the system.
What Happened
Butler was arrested and booked at the Harris County, Texas jail. According to charging documents from the Harris County prosecutor, Butler had been using Full Self-Driving mode without incident through multiple DoorDash deliveries that evening. In the moments leading up to the crash while approaching a left turn in FSD mode, Butler pressed the accelerator pedal, overriding the system's speed control and pushing it to 100 percent. The brake pedal was never pressed, and vehicle data shows no mechanical error was detected before impact. Forensic analysis of Butler's phone revealed Google searches questioning why FSD was "too timid," "not aggressive enough," and "FSD is not aggressive enough for city driving." The car struck the curb and slammed into Avila's house, killing the woman inside.
Why It Matters
The case highlights the tension between driver responsibility and advanced driver-assistance systems. Tesla has maintained that its systems require active driver supervision, and Butler now faces a felony manslaughter charge despite initially blaming autonomous features. The Avila family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both Butler and Tesla seeking at least $1 million in damages.
The Bottom Line
Butler remains in custody without entering a plea; his next court hearing is scheduled for Monday. Tesla's internal data, corroborated by charging documents, shows the driver manually overrode FSD and failed to brake before the fatal collision.
