In a troubling incident last October, a Cruise robotaxi, an autonomous vehicle developed by General Motors’ subsidiary, Cruise, was involved in a collision with a pedestrian in San Francisco, according to a report by Fortune.
The victim was reportedly compensated with an amount ranging between $8 million and $12 million for the injuries sustained during the incident. The collision resulted in the pedestrian being dragged over 20 feet by the self-driving vehicle, causing life-threatening injuries. The victim, whose identity remains undisclosed, was initially in critical condition but has since been discharged from Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.
Following the incident, Cruise underwent significant changes, including the resignation of its CEO and the suspension of all testing activities across the United States. General Motors also reduced Cruise’s annual budget by $1 billion and made substantial alterations to its management team. Financial reports indicate that since General Motors’ acquisition in 2016, Cruise has incurred losses exceeding $9 billion.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) revealed that Cruise failed to provide complete footage of a previous incident on October 2nd, where a human driver struck a woman and then was dragged by a robotaxi in downtown San Francisco. As a result, the DMV revoked Cruise’s permits for driverless taxi operations.
Currently, Cruise is working to reinstate its license to transport passengers autonomously in San Francisco and plans to resume operations in Phoenix shortly. The company has resumed vehicle testing, albeit with human drivers in control.
