Robotaxi Company Cruise to Pay $8 Million to Woman Dragged 20 Feet by Driverless Taxi

The robotaxi company, Cruise, has agreed to pay out between $8 million and $12 million to a woman who was dragged 20 feet by one of its autonomous vehicles in downtown San Francisco last fall. The incident occurred on October 2. The woman was dragged by the taxi after initially being struck by a human driver. The California DMV would later suspend Cruise’s driverless taxi permits. The company is now taking steps to reinstate its license to drive passengers around autonomously and appears set to resume operations in Phoenix.

According to the lawsuit, the woman sustained life-threatening injuries as a result of the accident. After the point of impact, the autonomous taxi came to a stop with the woman trapped underneath the vehicle. While the woman was still trapped underneath, the robotaxi attempted to pull over to the side of the road. As a result, the robotaxi dragged the woman 20 feet at a speed of about 7 mph before finally coming to a stop. The victim arrived at the hospital in critical condition but survived the accident and was later discharged.

After the accident occurred General Motors cut Cruise’s annual budget by $1 billion and replaced most of its management team. Tax filings indicate that the robotaxi company has lost over $9 billion in revenue since GM took over in 2016.

Elements of negligence 

How will autonomous vehicles change the landscape of car accident lawsuits? That’s a very large question rife with uncertainty. At this point, autonomous vehicles are beholden to the same laws of traffic that their human counterparts are subject to. When they violate the rules of traffic, the company that operates the taxi can be held accountable.

In the case mentioned above, a woman was struck by another driver and then struck again by the robotaxi. A human driver would have likely recognized that something was wrong and stopped the vehicle. The robotaxi did not, resulting in serious injury to the pedestrian.

Ultimately, the company that operates the autonomous vehicles is responsible for their behavior in traffic. If the vehicle does something abnormal, like drag a pedestrian 20 feet while attempting to pull over, the company that owns and designed the robotaxi is responsible. Such lawsuits are generally filed under a theory of product liability. In other words, plaintiffs allege that the company produced a defective product that caused injury. So, there are multiple areas of personal injury law that this type of case touches upon.

Talk to an Oakland, CA Traffic Accident Attorney Today 

Have you been injured in a traffic accident? Is the other driver at fault? It’s important to understand that you’ll only get one chance to file suit and recover damages related to your injuries. You want to ensure that you maximize your claim and get compensation for all of your injuries. The Oakland, CA personal injury lawyers at Venardi Zurada represent the interests of injured motorists in car accident claims. Call our office today to schedule an appointment, and learn more about how we can help.

Source:

sfstandard.com/2024/05/15/cruise-settlement-san-francisco-woman-dragged/