An autonomous vehicle (AV) operated by Cruise was involved in an accident in San Francisco on Monday night, hitting a pedestrian who had previously been struck by another car. The incident occurred when both vehicles were waiting at a red light and entered the intersection when it turned green. The force of the initial impact caused the woman to be knocked into the path of the Cruise robotaxi, where she became trapped under one of its wheels. The driver of the other car reportedly fled the scene. The woman was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Video evidence confirmed that the initial impact was severe, causing the Cruise vehicle to automatically brake aggressively as the pedestrian fell in front of it. Cruise has expressed concern for the injured woman and is cooperating with the police in their investigation. Images from the scene indicate that the rear left wheel of the Cruise car was slightly raised, supporting witness reports of the vehicle stopping on the woman’s leg.
This incident follows a recent decision by California’s Public Utilities Commission to allow Cruise and another AV operator, Waymo, to expand their paid ridesharing services throughout the day in San Francisco. However, Cruise had been ordered to reduce its robotaxi fleet after a previous crash involving a fire truck resulted in minor injuries to a passenger. The California Department of Motor Vehicles is currently investigating the concerning incidents involving self-driving Cruise cars on public roads in the city.
While it is too early to draw conclusions about Monday’s incident, the circumstances surrounding the woman’s inability to avoid the Cruise vehicle are of concern. The details of the incident will be clarified in a forthcoming police report.
