A woman in downtown San Francisco was severely injured after being struck by a driverless car operated by Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors. The incident occurred when the pedestrian was crossing the intersection in the presence of other cars that had the right of way. The autonomous vehicle was a secondary car in the collision. Video footage obtained by CNN shows that the woman was hit by a manned green vehicle which launched her onto the hood and into the path of the autonomous vehicle. The AV braked aggressively upon impact but ended up stopping on top of the woman. The driver of the green vehicle fled the scene, and the victim was left with multiple life-threatening injuries. The incident is under investigation, and Cruise has been cooperating with authorities.
This accident is a first for the San Francisco Fire Department in terms of a severe bodily injury caused by an autonomous vehicle. The incident took place after California regulators allowed robotaxi companies to operate their self-driving cars around the city. Cruise, in particular, has faced controversy due to traffic jams and collision incidents involving its driverless cars. The company has agreed to reduce its fleet by 50% as it works on corrective action. While the incident highlights challenges in creating fully driverless passenger vehicles, advocates argue that autonomous cars are still safer than human-operated vehicles.
In conclusion, a woman in downtown San Francisco suffered severe injuries after being struck by a driverless car operated by Cruise. The incident occurred when the pedestrian was crossing the street during a time when other cars had the right of way. Video footage revealed that the woman was initially hit by a manned green vehicle before being launched into the path of the autonomous vehicle. The AV braked upon impact but ended up stopping on top of the victim. This incident marks the first serious bodily injury caused by an autonomous vehicle in San Francisco, where robotaxi companies are permitted to operate their self-driving cars. Cruise has faced criticism in the past for traffic congestion and collision incidents involving its autonomous vehicles. Despite the challenges, proponents of driverless cars argue that they are still safer than human-operated vehicles.
