Motorcyclist dies in Texas highway collision involving a Tesla reportedly using Autopilot
A motorcyclist died on SH 130 in Travis County on July 28, 2026, after a tire blowout and successive strikes by an SUV and a Tesla reportedly using Autopilot. The system’s contribution to the death is unproven.
Steven Alvarez fatal Tesla crash in Clute with manufacturer-reported driver assistance
Steven Alvarez died when a Tesla crashed into a closed public pool complex in Clute, Texas on May 20, 2026. Police initially suspected a medical emergency; Electrek later matched the crash to a Tesla NHTSA filing marking driver assistance verified engaged. The system’s causal role is unknown.
Martha Avila Killed in Katy Tesla FSD Crash with Manual Acceleration Override
Martha Avila, 76, died after a Tesla Model 3 crashed into her Katy, Texas, home on June 19, 2026. The NTSB confirmed FSD (Supervised) had been engaged but was manually overridden when the driver fully depressed the accelerator; vehicle speed exceeded 70 mph in a 30-mph residential area. The driver’s manslaughter case and family product-liability claims are separate unresolved proceedings.
Dallas Pedestrian Death Involving Secondary Contact with Driverless Waymo
A pedestrian died after a conventional SUV struck him on Maple Avenue in Dallas on August 7, 2026 and threw him into the side of an unoccupied Level 4 Waymo vehicle. Dallas police identified the SUV as the initial striking vehicle. Waymo’s federal crash report says its autonomous system was engaged and slowing. No evidence establishes that Waymo caused the fatal sequence.
Zane Shamblin Death and ChatGPT Product-Liability Lawsuit
Zane Shamblin, 23, died in Texas on July 25, 2025. His parents’ California lawsuit alleges that prolonged ChatGPT conversations and inadequate crisis safeguards contributed to the death. OpenAI disputes responsibility, and the case has been coordinated with other product-liability actions without a merits finding.
Fatal Ford BlueCruise Collision with Stationary SUV in San Antonio
A Ford Mustang Mach-E operating with BlueCruise hands-free partial driving automation collided with a stationary Honda CR-V on Interstate 10 in San Antonio, killing the Honda driver. The NTSB attributed the crash to distraction and automation overreliance, with system detection and braking failures as contributors.