Tesla Driver Gets $150,000 Bail After 73 mph Fatal FSD Crash in Texas

3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Jul 3

Michael David Butler, 44, appeared in probable cause court Thursday after being charged with manslaughter in the June 19 Katy, Texas crash that killed 76-year-old Martha Avila; bail was set at $150,000.
Court papers say Butler was making a DoorDash delivery, changed music on the Tesla touchscreen, then “passed out” as the Model 3 hit 73 mph—more than double the limit—without brake use in the minute before impact.
Tesla disputes Butler’s account that the car was in Full Self-Driving or “Autopilot,” with Elon Musk saying FSD would move slowly on neighborhood streets and a software executive saying Butler overrode it by flooring the accelerator.
The crash is part of a broader federal probe: NHTSA has opened nearly 50 special investigations since 2016 into Tesla crashes tied to driver-assistance systems, with about two dozen deaths reported.
Avila’s family sued Tesla last week, alleging wrongful death, gross negligence and failure to warn that its self-driving systems were defective.