Michael Butler faces manslaughter charges after his Tesla struck and killed a woman in her home. Investigations revealed that Butler was using Tesla's Full-Self Driving system and overridden its speed control at the time of the crash, raising safety concerns about autonomous driving technology.
On June 19th, Michael Butler's Tesla Model 3 crashed into the home of 76-year-old Martha Avila in Katy, Texas, resulting in her death. Butler was reportedly delivering food for DoorDash at the time of the incident.
Butler claimed that he was using Tesla's Full-Self Driving (FSD) system and alleged that he previously found the system to be 'too timid'. Court documents reveal he searched online for information regarding FSD's aggressiveness before the crash.
Data extraction from Butler's Tesla and his mobile device showed he had been frustrated with the FSD capability. The investigation found that Butler had manually overridden the FSD system by fully pressing the accelerator before the fatal crash.
Avila's family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Butler and Tesla, prompting investigations from both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. Safety issues regarding autonomous vehicles remain a crucial topic in the tech industry.
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Michael Butler faces manslaughter charges after his Tesla struck and killed a woman in her home. Investigations revealed that Butler was using Tesla's Full-Self Driving system and overridden its speed control at the time of the crash, raising safety concerns about autonomous driving technology.