It was around 8 Friday night when investigators say *** 44-year-old driver in *** Tesla Model 3 slammed into the front of this home. Another video shared by *** neighbor shows just how fast the Tesla was traveling. We heard *** boom, it sounded just like an explosion. Jennifer Barber speaking with us from *** hotel she’s now having to call home. She says she immediately ran inside to try and make sure. Three young children were OK. It took her *** few moments to realize there was *** vehicle in her home. Fortunately she found her children and her husband, but it wasn’t until the smoke cleared she saw her mother, 76-year-old Martha Avila. She was pinned against the wall. Because he pushed her fridge like against her and the whole place that we have in the living room. Her mother was airlifted to the hospital. She says the driver was conscious but seriously hurt and taken to the hospital. Investigators say he told them he was using an automated driving. Assistance system when the crash happened, but he did not appear intoxicated. Barbara says her mother was declared dead inside the helicopter, so my three kids were at the neighbor’s until we went to the hospital to check on my mom, and then when they told us they couldn’t save her, we came back and we told the kids. The kids are devastated. Barbara says her mother has been living with her ever since she was pregnant with her first child. She says her whole life was dedicated to being *** mother and grandmother. My mom’s super generous and sweet and she was super healthy. She was 76, and so I, I think her life has come very short.
A Tesla crashed into a Texas home, killing a 76-year-old grandmother
Updated: 7:12 AM MDT Jun 22, 2026
A 76-year-old grandmother died after a Tesla driver, reportedly using the car’s autopilot feature, crashed into a Katy, Texas, home Friday evening, according to authorities.”We heard a boom,” Jennifer Barbour, the victim’s daughter, told KHOU-TV. “Like, it sounded just like an explosion.”The vehicle crashed into the front room of the home, hitting Martha Avila, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. Avila was transported to a local hospital and died of her injuries, authorities said.Barbour said it took a few moments for her to realize that a vehicle had driven into her home. She found her husband and three children safe after the crash, and then she discovered her mother.”She was pinned against the wall because he pushed her fridge, like, against her, and the whole place that we have in the living room,” she told the news outlet.Photos released by investigators show a gaping hole in the front of the Houston-area home, with the vehicle still inside the house and debris scattered across the lawn. A neighbor’s security camera footage obtained by CNN appears to show the vehicle traveling at a high speed on a neighborhood street before it drives out of frame. A loud noise is heard seconds later. The Tesla driver told responding deputies the vehicle was in autopilot mode, according to Harris County Constable Precinct 5. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment, deputies said.The driver showed no signs of intoxication and was cooperating with investigators, CNN affiliate KTRK reported.
KATY, Texas (Video above from KHOU via CNN) —
A 76-year-old grandmother died after a Tesla driver, reportedly using the car’s autopilot feature, crashed into a Katy, Texas, home Friday evening, according to authorities.
“We heard a boom,” Jennifer Barbour, the victim’s daughter, told KHOU-TV. “Like, it sounded just like an explosion.”
The vehicle crashed into the front room of the home, hitting Martha Avila, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. Avila was transported to a local hospital and died of her injuries, authorities said.
Barbour said it took a few moments for her to realize that a vehicle had driven into her home. She found her husband and three children safe after the crash, and then she discovered her mother.
“She was pinned against the wall because he pushed her fridge, like, against her, and the whole place that we have in the living room,” she told the news outlet.
Photos released by investigators show a gaping hole in the front of the Houston-area home, with the vehicle still inside the house and debris scattered across the lawn. A neighbor’s security camera footage obtained by CNN appears to show the vehicle traveling at a high speed on a neighborhood street before it drives out of frame. A loud noise is heard seconds later.
The Tesla driver told responding deputies the vehicle was in autopilot mode, according to Harris County Constable Precinct 5. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment, deputies said.
The driver showed no signs of intoxication and was cooperating with investigators, CNN affiliate KTRK reported.