Cruise, General Motors’ self-driving car maker, has reportedly agreed to pay $8 million to $12 million to a woman who was hospitalized after being in an accident. dragged on the sidewalk by an autonomous taxi in San Francisco last year.
The woman, a pedestrian, was struck by a hit-and-run vehicle at 5th and Market streets and thrown into the path of Cruise’s self-driving car, which trapped her underneath, according to Cruise and the authorities. The car dragged her about 20 feet as she tried to drive off the roadway before stopping.
She suffered “multiple traumatic injuries” and was treated at the scene before being hospitalized.
It is unclear when the settlement was reached or the exact amount, people familiar with the matter said. Fortune And Bloomberg. The condition of the woman, whose name has not been released by authorities, is unknown, but a representative for Zuckerberg General Hospital in San Francisco told Fortune that she had been released.
Cruise initially said his self-driving car “braked aggressively to minimize impact” but later said the vehicle’s software made an error in recording where it hit the woman. The car attempted to stop but continued traveling at 7 mph for 20 feet with the woman still under the vehicle.
“The hearts of all Cruise employees continue to be with the pedestrian and we hope that she continues to recover,” Cruise said in a statement.
Cruise has halted its driverless operations after its autonomous taxi license was suspended by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The company was also accused of lying to investigators and withholding footage of the car crash.
Cruise said this week it would begin testing robotaxis in Arizona with a “safety driver” behind the wheel in case a human needs to take control of the vehicle, according to a company news release.
“Safety is the defining principle of everything we do and continues to guide our progress toward resuming driverless operations,” according to the release.
