Cruise—Cruise robotaxi dragged pedestrian 20 feet in San Francisco after hit-and-run by another vehicle
On October 2, 2023, a woman was struck by a human-driven vehicle and thrown into the path of a Cruise autonomous vehicle, which ran over her. The robotaxi's system failed to detect the person underneath and attempted to pull over, dragging the victim 20 feet at 7 mph. The woman was hospitalized with serious injuries. Cruise later settled with the victim for $8-12 million.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Safety | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Consumer Protection | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.734 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.73)× agency (negligent ×0.5)
Evidence (3 signals)
Cruise settled with pedestrian dragging victim for more than $8 million
In May 2024, Fortune reported that GM-owned Cruise reached a settlement of more than $8 million with the woman who was dragged 20 feet by one of its robotaxis in San Francisco on October 2, 2023.
CBS News reported GM recalled all 950 Cruise vehicles after robotaxi dragged pedestrian 20+ feet in San Francisco
CBS News reported that General Motors recalled all 950 Cruise autonomous vehicles to update software after one dragged a pedestrian more than 20 feet on Market Street in San Francisco on October 2, 2023. The Cruise system mischaracterized the collision as a lateral collision and commanded the vehicle to pull over, dragging the woman rather than remaining stationary. The pedestrian was hospitalized with serious nonfatal injuries.
DOJ charged Cruise for filing false report after robotaxi dragged pedestrian 20 feet
U.S. Department of Justice charged Cruise with submitting a false report to NHTSA omitting that its robotaxi dragged a pedestrian 20 feet. The incident occurred October 2, 2023 in San Francisco when a hit-and-run victim was thrown into the path of a Cruise AV, which failed to detect her and dragged her while attempting to pull over.