HEARTBREAKING FINAL MOMENTS OF A GRANDMOTHER…...

HEARTBREAKING FINAL MOMENTS OF A GRANDMOTHER… – A 76-year-old grandmother tragically l0st her life after authorities say a man drove a Tesla into her home, turning an ordinary day into an unimaginable nightmare.

The family sued both the driver and Tesla following the fatal Texas crash

Martha Avila was killed after a Tesla allegedly drove into her Texas home.Credit : Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 5; gofundme

NEED TO KNOW

Michael David Butler was charged with manslaughter after his Tesla allegedly crashed into a home, killing Martha Avila, police said
The victim’s family filed a lawsuit against Butler and Tesla, alleging negligence and defective vehicle features that contributed to the crash
Authorities said Butler claimed the car was on autopilot during the crash and found no signs of intoxication

A Texas man was charged with manslaughter after authorities say his Tesla crashed into a home last month, killing a 76-year-old grandmother who was inside.

Michael David Butler, 44, was arrested and charged with manslaughter on Wednesday, July 1, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office announced on social media. Butler allegedly drove the Tesla that struck a Katy, Texas, home on June 19. The crash killed Martha Avila, 76, who was inside the residence at the time.

Butler is in custody at Harris County Jail. He is being held on $150,000 bond and his next court date is scheduled for Monday, July 6, according to jail records viewed by PEOPLE.

According to the deputies, Butler was driving a Tesla Model 3 at 8 p.m. local time when the vehicle veered off the roadway after failing to maintain a single lane, PEOPLE previously reported. Investigators said the Tesla slammed through a brick home at a high rate of speed, fatally striking Avila. Butler told investigators that the car was on autopilot at the time of the crash, according to Terry Allbritton, the Harris County Constable for Precinct 5.

“Avila was transported via Life Flight to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased due to the injuries she sustained from the crash,” the sheriff’s office’s June 19 statement read.

Authorities found no signs that Butler was intoxicated, and added that he was cooperative during the investigation. He was also taken to the hospital.

Avila was in the home with her daughter Jennifer Barbour, Barbour’s husband and their three young children, according to KHOU 11.

“The kids are devastated,” Barbour told KHOU 11 about her children’s reaction to their grandmother’s death.

Barbour told the outlet that she was in the backyard when she heard a loud boom. After finding her husband and their children, they found Avila.

Following the crash, the Barbours filed a lawsuit against Butler and Tesla. The complaint, obtained by PEOPLE, claims the Tesla — equipped with Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features — was defective and unsafe for normal use when it was sold.

The lawsuit said this defect helped cause Avila’s death and the harm the family suffered. They also allege Tesla knew or should have known the system could be dangerous but failed to give proper warnings or instructions.

The complaint also names Butler, saying he was negligent and failed to drive with reasonable care to avoid harming others.

According to the complaint, the Barbours are seeking personal injury damages for their physical injuries, and survival and wrongful death damages for Avila’s estate.

“Martha’s family is understandably devastated,” Ryan Zehl, an attorney for the Barbours, said in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Thursday, June 25. “There is no circumstance where a vehicle should ever crash into a home. We intend to look into all of the factors that played a part in this – the driver, the car and its software, and the involvement or failure of any autonomous driving and crash avoidance systems. We are committed to determining exactly what happened to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.”