A self-driving car operated by Cruise hit a pedestrian in San Francisco on Monday night, moments after she was struck by another vehicle, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Witnesses said the initial collision threw the woman into the path of the Cruise autonomous vehicle, which then pinned her under one of its wheels. The driver of the first car left the scene.
As of Tuesday morning, the woman’s condition in the hospital was described as “critical.”
Reports indicated that the two cars were waiting at a red light before the accident. When the light turned green, both vehicles moved into the intersection. At that moment, the pedestrian was hit by the first car and thrown into the path of the empty Cruise car.
Cruise confirmed in a statement that “a human-driven vehicle struck a pedestrian while traveling in the lane immediately to the left of a Cruise AV.” The company described the initial impact as “severe” and said the Cruise car automatically “braked aggressively to minimize the impact” as the pedestrian fell in front of it.
Cruise expressed deep concern for the injured person and stated they are cooperating with the police to find the driver responsible for the initial impact.
Photos from the scene show the rear left wheel of the Cruise car slightly raised, which matches reports that the vehicle stopped on the woman’s leg, trapping her until firefighters could lift the car off her.
This incident comes after an August decision by California’s Public Utilities Commission to allow Cruise and Waymo to expand their ridesharing services in San Francisco to operate around the clock. However, shortly after, regulators instructed Cruise to cut its robotaxi fleet in half following a crash involving a fire truck, which resulted in minor injuries for a passenger in the driverless car. Other similar incidents have been reported during the testing period of these autonomous vehicles.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles stated it is investigating “recent concerning incidents” involving Cruise’s self-driving cars on San Francisco streets.
While it’s too soon to draw conclusions about Monday’s accident, early accounts suggest the Cruise car had limited ability to avoid the incident. However, concerns remain regarding reports that the vehicle stopped directly on the woman’s leg. A forthcoming police report should provide further details.