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KATY, Texas (KIAH) — A 76-year-old woman is dead after deputies said a Tesla drove into a home in the Katy, Texas, area.
The crash happened around 8 p.m. Friday night at a home on Blooming Park Lane.
Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the 44-year-old driver told investigators he had the Tesla on autopilot. The car left the road and crashed into the home at a high rate of speed, home security footage showed.
The woman in the home, identified as Martha Avilia Mantilla, was injured and taken to a nearby hospital by Life Flight, deputies said. She was later declared dead due to her injuries.
Jennifer Barbour, Mantilla’s daughter, posted surveillance video of the crash on her Facebook page. You can view that video at the top of this story.
“This is the Tesla driver flying into my home. My mom didn’t deserve this,” Barbour said.
Investigators said they are working to determine what role, if any, the driver’s control of the car and Tesla’s autopilot system played in the crash.
A GoFundMe page was set up for the family of Martha Avila Mantilla after the incident.
“[Our] home is now uninhabitable and under investigation, forcing our family into temporary housing while they cope with this unimaginable loss,” the GoFundMe page reads.
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