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Pedestrian Killed After SUV Strike Sends Him Into Path of Waymo Robotaxi in Dallas

Waymo says the unoccupied autonomous vehicle detected the person and slowed before impact, and Dallas police have opened a preliminary investigation.

Overview

  • Late Friday night around 11:30 p.m. on Maple Avenue near Lucas Drive, a man stepped into the street and was struck by an SUV, Dallas police said.
  • Police say the SUV threw the man into the northbound lane where he was then hit by a Waymo autonomous vehicle and later died at a hospital.
  • Waymo confirmed the car was one of its driverless vehicles, said nobody was inside, reported that its sensors detected the person and that the vehicle slowed to about 5 mph before the left rear was struck.
  • Surveillance video obtained by local media shows the man stepping off the curb and the Waymo vehicle stopping as bystanders ran to help, and police say the SUV driver remained at the scene.
  • The case is under active, preliminary investigation and follows recent robotaxi incidents that have intensified public and regulatory scrutiny of autonomous taxi operations.