Driverless Waymo vehicle strikes child in California

An autonomous conveyance struck a pupil successful Santa Monica past week, but the unfortunate was not injured, according to the Santa Monica Police Department.

The Santa Monica Police Department said successful a connection to Fox News Digital, "On January 23, 2026, astatine approximately 8:31 a.m., Santa Monica Police Department officers responded to a postulation collision involving an autonomous conveyance and a pupil near 24th Street and Pearl Street, adjacent to Grant Elementary School."

"Preliminary accusation indicates the pupil entered the roadway extracurricular the disposable crosswalk and distant from the connected work crossing guard, and was progressive successful a debased speed, non-injury collision with the vehicle," the connection continued.

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A Waymo autonomous taxi successful San Francisco, California, connected Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"Santa Monica Fire Department unit responded to the country and evaluated the student. No injuries were reported, and the student’s genitor was present. Officers conducted an connected country investigation, and the incidental remains nether review," the connection concluded.

Waymo, a institution that falls nether Alphabet's umbrella, issued a connection astir the incident.

"Following the event, we voluntarily contacted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that aforesaid day. NHTSA has indicated to america that they mean to unfastened an probe into this incident, and we volition cooperate afloat with them passim the process," the institution noted successful the statement.

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A Waymo drives crossed Congress Avenue connected 8th Street successful beforehand of the Capitol Building arsenic rainfall arrives successful the Austin country connected Friday, Jan. 23, 2025, up of anticipated drops successful somesthesia and freezing rainfall implicit the weekend.  (Sara Diggins/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)

"The lawsuit occurred erstwhile the pedestrian abruptly entered the roadway from down a gangly SUV, moving straight into our vehicle's path. Our exertion instantly detected the idiosyncratic arsenic soon arsenic they began to look from down the stopped vehicle. The Waymo Driver braked hard, reducing velocity from astir 17 mph to nether 6 mph earlier interaction was made," the institution asserted.

Waymo suggested that the conveyance had slowed down faster than a quality operator would person nether specified circumstances.

"To enactment this successful perspective, our peer-reviewed exemplary shows that a afloat attentive quality operator successful this aforesaid concern would person made interaction with the pedestrian astatine astir 14 mph. This important simplification successful interaction velocity and severity is simply a objection of the worldly information payment of the Waymo Driver," the institution declared.

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"Following contact, the pedestrian stood up immediately, walked to the sidewalk, and we called 911. The conveyance remained stopped, moved to the broadside of the road, and stayed determination until instrumentality enforcement cleared the conveyance to permission the scene," Waymo noted.