Katy Tesla crash: Expert explains what investigators will be looking for as federal probe continues
Investigation into deadly crash involving a Tesla continues
Investigators are continuing work to determine what caused a Tesla Model 3 to crash into a Katy-area home, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila, both local experts and federal agencies are taking a closer look at the evidence. FOX 26's Leslie DelasBour has the latest.
KATY, Texas - As investigators work to determine what caused a Tesla Model 3 to crash into a Katy-area home, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila, both local experts and federal agencies are taking a closer look at the evidence.
Tesla crash investigation continues
The Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed Wednesday that investigators have found no evidence of a mechanical malfunction at this stage of the investigation. However, officials emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing.
The deadly crash happened June 19 when a Tesla left the roadway and slammed into a home, striking Avila inside.
Tesla executive weighs in
The investigation gained national attention after Tesla's Vice President of AI and Ashok Elluswamy, publicly commented on the crash on X, formerly Twitter.
While Tesla has publicly cited vehicle data, investigators are conducting their own independent review.
What investigators are trying to determine
FOX 26 spoke with Austin Abbott, a Tesla expert and Accident Reconstruction Expert, about what authorities will be looking for as the case moves forward.
"The goal is to determine the root cause," Austin said. "That is going to be discovered by going through all of the driver inputs leading up to the crash and then any vehicle responses to that."
He said investigators will review data that could show accelerator input, vehicle speed, steering activity and how the vehicle responded in the seconds before impact.
"I know Tesla has come out, and they have said that the driver was at 100% throttle, so investigators will be looking into that and seeing if that was true from the sensor positions and then how the vehicle is interpreting that data," Austin said.
One of the most important pieces of evidence could come from the vehicle's Event Data Recorder, often referred to as a vehicle's "black box," according to Abbott.
According to Austin, Teslas records significant amounts of data that can help investigators reconstruct what happened.
"Investigators will be trying to get as much of that as possible and looking through that," he said.
The expert explained that investigators will not rely solely on digital records. They will also compare the vehicle's data to physical evidence collected from the crash scene.
"It's important to remember that while we have data on one hand, we want to align that with physical evidence that we find at the scene and make sure that they both correlate with one another," Austin said.
Why NHTSA is involved
In addition to the Harris County Sheriff's Office investigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a Special Crash Investigation.
Austin cautioned that a federal investigation does not automatically indicate a defect or problem with the vehicle.
"NHTSA has many reasons for opening a special investigation and that does not necessarily mean there is anything wrong with Tesla," he said.
The expert said federal investigators will likely take a deeper look at vehicle systems, available data and any potential role advanced driving technology may have played in the crash.
What's next:
Investigators are expected to continue reviewing electronic vehicle data, physical evidence from the scene and other information gathered during the investigation.
Austin said one of the most important questions investigators still need to answer is what the driver was doing in the moments leading up to the crash.
"The first step for them would be collecting the data from the Event Data Recorder and trying to figure out what the driver was doing in the moments leading up to the crash," he said.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office says its investigation remains active.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the crash. At this time, investigators have found no evidence of a mechanical malfunction. However, it is important to note that the investigation is not complete. Once all evidence has been gathered, the investigative file will be presented to the Harris County District Attorney's Office to determine whether criminal charges are appropriate.
The Source: Austin Abbott, a Tesla expert and Accident Reconstruction Expert, statement from Harris County Sheriff's Office.