Woman Trapped Under Driverless Car in San Francisco Suffers Life-Threatening Injuries "There was no driver and no passenger in the car to be able to tell us what happened," San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Justin Schorr said of the scene.

By Sam Silverman

Key Takeaways

  • San Francisco approved driverless cars in August.
  • A Cruise spokesperson said a human-driven vehicle stuck the pedestrian first.

A woman was found trapped under a driverless car in downtown San Francisco on Monday evening, according to the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD).

The driverless car is operated by Cruise, one of the self-driving car companies operating in San Francisco as robotaxis available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The driverless cars are equipped with cameras that law enforcement can utilize in an investigation, but it doesn't necessarily make the job any easier.

RELATED: What Happens When Self-Driving Cars Crash? The Legal Ramifications of Automation

"There was no driver and no passenger in the car to be able to tell us what happened," SFFD spokesperson Justin Schorr told CNN.

Cruise spokesperson Navideh Forghani said a human-driven vehicle stuck the pedestrian while driving to the left of a Cruise autonomous vehicle.

"The initial impact was severe and launched the pedestrian directly in front of the AV," Forghani told CNN. "The AV then braked aggressively to minimize the impact."

The city approved the driverless cars in August, per The New York Times. The decision was greatly criticized for safety concerns by local officials over fears of potential road hazards.

RELATED: Traffic Jam Caused by Self-Driving Cars in San Francisco Sparks Outcry and Safety Concerns

In addition to Cruise, there is another company that operates driverless vehicles in San Fransisco called Waymo, which is owned by Google's parent company Alphabet.

The victim, who has not been named, is being treated at San Francisco General Hospital with "multiple life-threatening injuries," Schorr told CNN.

"We are actively working with police to help identify the responsible driver," Cruise tweeted.

Sam Silverman

Entrepreneur Staff

Content Strategy Editor

Sam Silverman is a content strategy editor at Entrepreneur Media. She specializes in search engine optimization (SEO), and her work can be found in The US Sun, Nicki Swift, In Touch Weekly, Life & Style and Health. She writes for our news team with a focus on investigating scandals. Her coverage and expertise span from business news, entrepreneurship, technology, and true crime, to the latest in entertainment and TV news. Sam is a graduate of Lehigh University and currently resides in NYC. 

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