Tesla crash that killed a woman under US federal investigation

A fatal crash involving a Tesla that drove into a home is being investigated by the US auto safety regulator.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a formal inquiry on Monday into the accident that occurred on 19 June in Texas, in which a Tesla sped off the road into a house.

A woman who was inside the property was severely injured and died as a result, according to a report of the incident from local police.

Police said the driver was not intoxicated, and he told investigators that the vehicle was operating with an automated driving assistance system at the time of the crash.

"NHTSA is launching a special crash investigation into this crash," an agency spokesperson said.

A representative of Tesla, which is owned by trillionaire Elon Musk, did not respond to a request for comment on the crash or the investigation.

The fatal crash occurred around 20:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Friday. The driver of a Tesla Model 3 "failed to drive in a single lane, left the roadway, and struck the residence", the police report stated.

In a statement given to local media the night of the crash, Sergeant Alex Turman of the Harris County Sheriff's Office said the vehicle "failed to turn right at an intersection and, at a high rate of speed, crashed directly into a house".

The 76-year-old woman who was inside the home was struck in the crash and was taken to a hospital, but she died of her injuries, the officer added.

In an interview with a local station of CBS, a BBC partner, the woman's daughter said she discovered her mother in the house after the crash.

The woman lived with her daughter, son-in-law and their three children, all of whom were also at home at the time of the crash.

The driver was also taken to hospital and was cooperating with the investigation into the crash, police said.