Tesla Says Autopilot Is Not To Blame For Deadly Texas Crash

Was anyone driving the Tesla when it crashed and killed two people near Houston this month?

Texas law enforcement says yes, but Tesla's CEO Elon Musk says "this is completely false."

Everette Talbot, 69, and William Varner, 59, died on April 16 when the Tesla Model S they were in veered off the road and crashed into a tree in Spring, Texas. The car then burst into flames.

Harris County Constable Mark Herman told reporters at the crash scene that investigators were "100% certain" that no one was driving the car when it crashed because the victims were found in the back seat and the front passenger seat.

The New York Times reported that the victims' wives heard the men talking about the car's autopilot feature before their deaths. Musk pushed back on claims that the autopilot function was involved in the crash because data shows that it was not enabled at the time.

Tesla executives and investigators with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were able to examine the charred remains of the car.

Lars Moravy, a Tesla engineering executive, said the company's investigation suggests a "likelihood that someone was in the driver's seat at the time of the crash" because the steering wheel was "deformed," USA Today reported.

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