KATY, Texas – The family of 76-year-old Martha Avila, who was killed after a Tesla crashed into their Katy home Friday night, says they are now trying to rebuild their lives while mourning the woman they say held their family together.
Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a special crash investigation into the deadly collision.
For 11 years, Martha Avila lived at the Katy home with her daughter, Jennifer Barbour, and son-in-law, Justin Barbour.
The couple says Avila helped raise their three children while they worked long hours.
“The reason none of my kids ever knew what a daycare was, she was the babysitter and they were safe,” Jennifer Barbour said.
Justin Barbour said Avila made it possible for both parents to maintain their careers.
“She took care of the kids while we both were working, you know, 60 or so hours a week,” he said. “And now everything is just completely upended.”
Jennifer described her mother as a loving and protective grandmother.
“My mom is the best grandmother in the world,” she said. “My mom was just a blessing to have in our house. We’re very fortunate to have her.”
According to the family, the Tesla crashed into the children’s playroom.
Some of the children’s belongings still sit outside the damaged home days after the crash.
The family says it was by sheer chance that the children were not in the room when the Tesla came crashing through.
“It’s an absolute miracle considering how often they use those rooms,” Justin Barbour said.
He said he had been cooking dinner moments before the crash and had stepped away to turn off his computer.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the 44-year-old male driver told investigators the Tesla was in an automated driving setting when the crash occurred.
Investigators will need to extract data from the vehicle to verify that claim.
KPRC 2 has also learned that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a special crash investigation into the collision.
In 2024, the federal agency had analyzed nearly a thousand crashes involving Tesla’s Autopilot system.
Investigators also found that in more than half of the crashes analyzed, hazards were visible for at least five seconds before impact and that in 82% of the crashes, drivers either did not brake or braked less than one second before impact.
David Kidd, vice president of vehicle research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said drivers should view these systems as convenience features rather than replacements for attentive driving.
“You can’t just set it and forget it,” Kidd told KPRC 2. “These type of systems you are required to supervise what’s going on.”
The Barbours say they are now living out of hotels while they work through insurance claims and figure out how to rebuild their home.
“We’re homeless now,” Justin said.
The couple says their children are still trying to come to terms with what happened.
“If we’re eating someplace that we used to go with grandma, they start crying randomly,” Jennifer said.
For now, the family says they are focused on helping their children heal and finding answers about what happened.
“I hope they investigate because we want answers,” Jennifer said.
The family plans to bring Avila’s body back to the Los Angeles area, where they are originally from, for funeral services.