Disturbing video shows Tesla crash into Texas home, killing grandma, 76, in latest Autopilot controversy

A Tesla said to be traveling at speeds as high as 70 miles per hour while in Autopilot mode barreled into a Texas home on Friday night and killed a 76-year-old grandmother — the latest deadly crash to put the automaker’s controversial automation technology under scrutiny.Security-camera footage aired by Houston station KHOU-TV appeared to show the Tesla barreling down a residential street before veering across a front lawn and smashing directly into the brick home.Video from a doorbell camera captured the car missing the driveway and plowing into the front wall with such force that it tore deep into the residence, where Martha Avila was inside putting away groceries.Authorities are investigating whether Tesla’s Autopilot system played a role after a Model 3 left the roadway in Katy, Texas, slammed through a brick house at high speed and fatally struck homeowner Martha Avila as she sat inside.The crash remains under active investigation, and officials have not determined what caused the vehicle to veer off the road.“We saw a car flying by down the street,” a neighbor who witnessed the crash told Click2Houston.com.“All we saw was them going about 60 to 70 miles per hour.Next thing we know, we hear it hit that curb in that driveway and it ran into the house.”The driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, told investigators that the vehicle’s automated driving-assistance feature was engaged at the time of the crash, according to reports.Avila, a 76-year-old grandmother, suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Butler was also injured and taken to a hospital for treatment.According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Butler was traveling east on Rose Hollow Lane when he failed to maintain a single lane, left the roadway and crashed into the home on Blooming Park Lane.Authorities said the Tesla entered the residence at a significant speed, causing extensive structural damage and striking Avila inside.Investi...