Tesla driver charged with manslaughter after car in FSD mode crashes into Texas home

Tesla needs to be a co-defendent in this case.

From the beginning, investigators have focused on how Butler was using Tesla’s system. Butler told officials and paramedics that he was working as a DoorDash driver and that the car was in FSD mode before he “passed out” while changing music on the car’s touchscreen, according to the affidavit. The affidavit said tests found no alcohol or drugs in his system.

The affidavit says Butler manually pressed the accelerator pedal several times in the neighborhood where the crash occurred, “overriding the default FSD speed.” At one point, the car reached 73 miles per hour on the residential street – more than twice the posted limit. The affidavit also notes there was no brake pedal input recorded in the final minute before the crash.

Tesla executives publicly disputed Butler’s version of events. On social media, they said the driver pressed the accelerator pedal down and kept it pressed even after the crash. The company says FSD doesn’t make its cars self-driving and that drivers still have to stay alert and be ready to step in.

So… A few things.

1. He passed out while changing music?

2. He did not attempt to brake at all and kept pressing the accelerator after the crash.

3. So he still was passed out after crashing into a house at 70+ mph?

That’s what he’s saying happened, according to his affidavit, and the data from the vehicle. So the exact same thing would have happened in any other vehicle as well, FSD had little impact on the crash. He passed out pressing the accelerator pedal and crashed into a hosw when the road ended. So maybe without FSD it wouldn’t have driven as straight, instead veering off to the side of the road, still at 70+ mph. Keeping in mind that manually steering the wheel with a modicum of force disengages FSD, so there was little to no force on the wheel.