Waymo Vehicle Strikes Pedestrian in San Francisco's Lower Haight
A Waymo vehicle collides with a pedestrian in San Francisco's Lower Haight neighborhood, though the company claims a human driver operates the car at the time. The victim remains conscious after the late-night incident and receives transport to a local hospital.
A Waymo vehicle strikes a pedestrian in San Francisco's Lower Haight neighborhood late Wednesday night, bringing new attention to the safety of autonomous vehicle testing. A Reddit user shares a photo of the scene, showing the white, sensor-topped car surrounded by fire and emergency personnel. The victim reportedly remains conscious and standing after the collision, and emergency workers transport the individual to San Francisco General Hospital for evaluation.
Waymo public relations representative Katherine Barna issues a statement confirming the incident but emphasizes that the vehicle operates in manual mode at the time. This claim suggests a human driver actively controls the car rather than the self-driving system, though independent authorities do not yet verify this detail. The San Francisco Police Department remains silent on the matter, and the fire department directs all inquiries to the police.
According to the Reddit user's account, the pedestrian crosses the street after exiting a rideshare vehicle before the Waymo hits the individual in the near lane. With the sheer number of Waymo vehicles currently navigating San Francisco streets, local residents express little surprise that an accident eventually occurs. As the investigation continues, the lack of official police statements leaves many questions unanswered about the exact sequence of events.