HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — The head of Tesla’s autopilot division is pushing back against what the driver of a Tesla allegedly told investigators after he crashed into a house on Friday, killing a beloved grandmother.
A Katy, Texas-area family is grieving the loss of 71-year-old Martha Avila.
The crash happened in a typically quiet neighborhood, while the Barbour family was preparing dinner. According to her son-in-law, Avila was in the front playroom when the Tesla slammed through the front of the house.
Video provided by the family shows the vehicle plowing directly into the home. Avila suffered catastrophic injuries and later died.
The Harris County, Texas Sheriff’s Department said the driver of the Tesla told its investigators the car was on autopilot when it hit the house.
ABC Houston affiliate KTRK reached out to Tesla about that driver’s assertion. Tesla never responded. But, on Monday afternoon, Ashok Elluswamy, vice president of Auto-Pilot for Tesla, commented on the X social media platform about the crash. In a reply complaining about media coverage of the crash, Elluswamy indicated that the driver had manually overridden the autopilot and was driving at 73 miles per hour.
His reply stated: “Yup. In this case, the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accelerator pedal in this residential area. They reached a speed of 73 mph during the crash, and had the accelerator pressed even after the crash.”
Besides the Harris County Sheriff’s Department, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened its own investigation into the incident.
Additional video from nearby residents appears to show the Tesla traveling at a high rate of speed through neighborhood streets before the crash.
Despite speculation online, the Barbour family is urging the public not to jump to conclusions while investigators work to determine exactly what happened.
“Nothing’s been proven yet,” Justin Barbour said. “Everyone online is jumping to conclusions, and the world has enough animosity among people already.”
“She was a blessing,” said her daughter, Jennifer Barbour. “I honestly don’t know what I would do without her. She never complained during the 11 years she lived with us.”
Avila served as a caretaker for the family’s three children and was a central figure in their household.
“She was the typical Latino mom,” Jennifer Barbour recalled through tears. “The one who follows you around with a sweater when it’s 80 degrees outside, cough syrup everywhere, overprotective about everything. It’s very tragic she had to go this way.”
Son-in-law Justin Barbour says Avila had walked to the front playroom to get something out of the small refrigerator when she was hit. The car then crashed into the kitchen, which he had left just moments before.
“I left the stove to walk out of the room and literally was out of the room and I heard the crash,” Justin Barbour said. “Our kitchen’s totaled; nobody would have survived.”
Jennifer and Justin Barbour have hired an attorney, and a lawsuit is expected to be filed.
As of Monday, no charges had been filed against the driver.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing and had no new updates to provide.
Meanwhile, the Barbour family says they are staying in hotels while they determine their next steps and begin the difficult process of mourning the loss of Martha Avila.
Copyright © 2026 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.
