The National Transportation Safety Board has opened An investigation into a crash in Texas over the weekend in which a driver crashed into a home in Katy, Texas, killing one resident.
The family of that victim, 76-year-old Martha Avila, has also filed a lawsuit against driver Michael Butler and Tesla, alleging negligence.
The NTSB has joined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in investigating the accident. While Butler reportedly told local authorities that he was using Tesla’s Autopilot feature before the crash, the company has since said it has data showing that Butler’s accelerator pedal was pressed to the floor. According to Tesla, this “overrides” his car’s full self-driving software, causing him to reach a speed of 73 mph before hitting the house.
However, Tesla has not provided further evidence beyond those statements. The NTSB and NHTSA investigations will likely require the company to turn over logs created by the car’s onboard computers that will ultimately reveal how the accident actually occurred.
