Self-driving vehicle runs over, pins woman in San Francisco; operator claims human hit her first

Woman Injured After Self-Driving Car Accident in San Francisco

In a late-night incident that left the city of San Francisco in shock, a woman was found with life-threatening injuries on Monday after being struck and trapped under a self-driving car. The incident occurred at the intersection of 5th and Market Streets, with first responders rushing to the scene just after 9:30 p.m.

The victim was discovered beneath the left rear axle of a stationary Cruise autonomous vehicle. San Francisco Fire Captain Justin Shore informed FOX KTVU about the situation, stating that there were no drivers or passengers present to provide details about the accident.

Officers immediately provided aid to the injured woman, and she was swiftly transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to San Francisco Police Department spokesman Officer Robert Rueca.

The autonomous vehicle involved in the accident, operated by Cruise, remained at the scene at the request of the police. However, the driver of the other vehicle involved in the incident had fled the scene. The absence of a driver or any witnesses made it challenging to determine how long the woman had been trapped under the self-driving car.

Cruise, the company responsible for the autonomous vehicle, offered its account of the incident in a statement issued on social media the following morning. According to Cruise, the incident began with a hit-and-run caused by a human driver in a vehicle traveling in the lane next to the Cruise AV.

“At approximately 9:30 p.m. on October 2, a human-driven vehicle struck a pedestrian while traveling in the lane immediately to the left of a Cruise AV,” the statement explained. “The initial impact was severe and launched the pedestrian directly in front of the AV.”

The driverless Cruise vehicle quickly applied its brakes to minimize the impact. Cruise reported that the driver of the other vehicle fled the scene, while the autonomous car remained on-site as requested by the authorities. The company expressed deep concern for the injured person’s well-being and pledged to cooperate with the police in identifying the responsible driver.

The San Francisco Police Department’s Traffic Division continues to investigate the collision, urging anyone with information about the incident to contact them at 415-575-4444 or to text a tip to TIP411, beginning the message with SFPD.