Grandmother Killed After Self-Driving Car Crashes into Home

A quiet Texas neighborhood was turned into a nightmare scene Friday night when a Tesla allegedly running on Autopilot flew off the road and smashed into a home, killing a 76-year-old grandmother who was inside.

Martha Avila was not driving. She was not walking along the street. She was inside her own house in Katy, Texas, when the Tesla Model 3 came barreling through the wall and struck her, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials said Michael Butler was traveling eastbound on a residential street when the Tesla failed to stay in one lane, left the roadway, and slammed straight into the side of the home.

Butler told investigators the vehicle was in Autopilot mode at the time of the crash, authorities said.

Terrifying Ring doorbell footage captured the moment the car tore into the house at a high rate of speed, turning an ordinary night into a deadly disaster.

Avila suffered catastrophic injuries and was airlifted by Life Flight to a local hospital. She was later pronounced dead.

Butler was also taken to the hospital by ambulance. His condition has not been released.

Authorities said the driver showed no signs of intoxication and is cooperating with the investigation.

The horrifying crash is now putting Tesla’s Autopilot technology back under the microscope.

Tesla warns on its own website that Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability do not make the vehicle autonomous. The company says the features are intended for use by a fully attentive driver who keeps their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any moment.

The deadly crash comes after Tesla recalled more than 2 million vehicles in 2023 following a two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into crashes involving Autopilot.

Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to Tesla for comment.

For Avila’s loved ones, the safety debate is now painfully personal.

A grandmother was killed in the one place she should have been safest: inside her own home.

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